Bring On The Rain
by Snixxers
Summary: Alice isn't the same since the Hive, Claire isn't the girl she was before the T-Virus leaked out of Raccoon City and Rain Ocampo wasn't even supposed to be alive. Things have changed, and not all of them for the better.
1. Docks and a Date

**Title: Bring On The Rain**

**Author: Snixxers**

**Rating: M for violence, alcohol and drug usage and sexual content.**

**Pairing: Rain and Claire (Is there even a ship name for that? If not, I now shall make one! Cain! :D)**

**A/N: Alright, so this story came into my head the other night with a surge of inspiration. From the lack of Rain fics, and the utter lack of Cain fics, I thought I'd pioneer the new ship! :D Anyhow, this is AU, obviously, and for the sake of the story, the end of Resident Evil will be twisted so Rain doesn't die. Reviews are love, so pleeease show me some. This fic is named after the song "Bring on the Rain" by Jo Dee Messina, which was introduced to me by the amazing Andrella07. **

**Also, I'm aware this first chapter is a little out of character, but that is temporary. It's a light hearted event and they're supposed to be happy and silly. So, don't fret when Claire seems...not like Claire. This will be amended!**

**

* * *

**

_Two Days before the Viral Leak_

"Ocampo, this is my sister, Claire."

A bright smile was beamed her way from the redhead who she had just been introduced to. Her hair was down, cascading in a crimson veil around her shoulders and over the black, patched Guns N' Roses T-shirt that hugged at her hourglass hips and slender waist. Low-ride jeans splayed over taut thighs to end in a pair of black boots. She was taller than Rain and the height difference slightly unnerved her –like it was a symbol of their status and that intimidated her. The smile was easy and the sparkle in her green eyes and the gentle tilt of her head in genuine interest was enough to soothe the irk of intimidation she'd unreasonably formed. A tanned arm lifted and she gripped the woman's pale hand, eyes flickering to the other woman's long, slender digits before resting on her face. She returned her own characteristic smirk and nodded in greeting.

"Rain." She replied, taking notice as an unreadable emotion flashed across Claire's face. She felt relieved, at least, that no one had taken this 'double date' seriously. Chris had invited Jill, but Claire's recent visit had her tagging along and Chris hated to make his sister the third-wheel. Enter Rain Ocampo to serve as Claire's company. Why she had agreed she wasn't sure, but she had owed Chris fifty from a lost bet and he said he'd dismiss it if she agreed. However, as she stared at the beautiful youngest Redfield in front of her, she couldn't find herself regretting her choice.

"Nice to meet you, Rain. Sorry you got talked into babysitting me." The taller woman chuckled through a polite smile and Rain found herself shaking her head in response.

"Hardly. It's a pleasure. I'm just sorry you have to endure Chris and Jill when they're together." She rolled her eyes and shot a playful look to the man in question, but the lovely chime of Claire's laugh instantly recaptured her attention.

"It's not pleasant," Claire started, glancing fondly at her brother before smiling mischievously, "At least I have the decency to keep it in my pants until he isn't around."

Chris mock-shuddered and wrinkled his nose, "That is something I never, ever want to imagine again. Please don't bring it up." He glanced away from his sister and best friend when Jill appeared at the front door where they were waiting. His face lit up and he gave her a big hug in greeting. Rain rolled her eyes as the hug grew a little more passionate and turned back to Claire. "Well, let's grab a seat then. I don't intend to stick around for the show." She spread her arm outwards to suggest they get moving but instead of Claire starting ahead of her like she'd expected, the redhead took the outstretched hand and let it drop between them with a smile, fingers laced.

Rain's smile faltered and she would be damned if she felt a blush creeping at the nape of her neck. Claire, unabashed, turned and lead them through the throng of people and to a booth, where she let Rain settle in before shimmying in beside her. Despite the idea of 'going on a double date-slash-blind date', Chris sure hadn't gone out of his way to be elaborate and fancy. Docks' was probably the cheesiest bar in town, but it happened to be Rain and his' favorite hang out joint and that counted for something. It was your typical dark-wood bar, where everything was made of old wood and the floor was scuffed from the boots of many a passerby and there was a jukebox and a black-and-white tiled dance floor that had seen better days; but the beer and the hamburgers here had no competition in all of Raccoon City.

The Latina shrugged off her leather jacket and draped it in the space beside her on the booth before leaning forward to rest her elbows against the tarnished wood table. A flicker of her gaze surveyed the familiar bar before settling on Claire, who had opted on perusing the short Menu that had been laid in front of her. She pointed dramatically to one of the options, the 'Ribeye Steak', and grinned at Rain. "Is the steak here any good?" she asked.

Pink lips parted in a hearty chuckle as Rain nodded lightly, "Of course, but I always get the green chili burger." The smile broke into a toothy grin, "I love spicy foods." When Claire opened her mouth to speak, Rain held up a finger and fixed her date with a stern stare, "It's because I'm Latina, isn't it?" Mirth fell over Claire's face and she laughed, but didn't say anything else –even when Jill and Chris finally settled into the booth opposite them.

"Green Chili burger for Rain, Dock's Burger for myself –hold the tomato- and salads for the ladies." Chris rubbed his hands together with a self-satisfied nod as Rain broke into a fit of laughter while the indignant Jill and Claire reacted differently –a slap to the bicep from Jill and a wadded-up napkin straight between the eyes from Claire; both which caused Rain to laugh harder and Claire to join in. Chris faked his sudden, violent death and slumped back into the seat with his tongue lolling from his mouth.

"Great shot, Red. Have you ever thought of joining the force?" Rain asked half-seriously through her subsiding laughter.

Claire shrugged with a smile as she watched Rain. "No, but Chris used to teach me how to use guns back home. I could kick his ass at paintball any day." She smirked at her brother, who suddenly became indignant and grumpy.

"Whatever Claire, you had the drop on me that _one_ time, okay? You so won't win next time." He retorted, to which Claire stuck out her tongue.

"Wow, definitely related –those two." Jill started, smiling at Rain who was trying to keep her laughter to herself. "Clowns if I ever saw 'em." She added, sitting back and leaning on Chris's side as an ape-ish arm rested on her shoulders. Rain watched them for a moment before jumping slightly when Claire slung her arm over the latina's shoulders and smirked.

"My date is hotter." Claire started, to which Chris immediately sat upright and gasped.

"Bullshit! Jill wins no contest!" He huffed.

"Hey man, uncalled for." Rain butted in, smiling softly despite the small sting of hurt she felt.

"Yea, Chris. Besides, Rain wins infinite plus one!" She smiled triumphantly, and when Chris started to argue, she shook her head, "Nuh-uh! Inifnite plus one always beats infinite…no! There is no such thing as infinity plus two!..Oh yea, well…!"

Rain rubbed at her temple and shook her head and mouthed a 'sorry' to the brunette in the other seat. Jill just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest in defeat. "We have the most childish dates ever."

"Yea well…" Rain glanced at the still arguing pair, "Mine is hotter." The two shared a laugh until finally the siblings stopped their immature bickering, apparently having taken it pretty seriously because both of them situated themselves more protectively around their respective dates –Chris by hugging Jill closer and kissing her to rub it in and Claire by moving Rain flush against her side and flinging her legs over the Latinas lap as she wrapped both arms around Rain.

They were saved from further childish games when Burt, the balding, portly waiter finally made his way over with an overzealous greeting."Well if it isn't my two favorite crimes fightin' chumps! Hows you's doin' on this fine Friday night?"

"Alright, Burt-o. How Clarice?" Chris responded equally eager.

"Oh, you's know, keepin' this fine piece of meat in line." Burt patted his potbelly fondly and laughed with the four sitting at the table. "And who's these lovely ladies you's have here?"

"This is my girlfriend, Jill and my sister Claire."

"You tellin' me you's related to this oaf?" Burt asked, jabbing a fat thumb in Chris's direction. When Claire beamed up at him, Burt laughed, "Well, you's the prettier one, that's for sure." He paused to smile proudly at the table of friends and then nodded, "So, what can ol' Burt get you's tonight?"

"The usual for me and Rain and a…"

"Ribeye for me, medium rare." Claire cut him off before the brute ordered for her. She grinned when Jill shot her an almost disgusted look at the choice of food and Rain raised an eyebrow.

"And I'll have the veggie burger." Jill finished.

"You's got it. That'll be out soon!" Burt vanished and the four returned to a casual conversation. By the time their food had arrived, Claire was still half-on Rain's lap and their hands had joined together in Claire's lap while the brunette arm was wrapped around Claire's lower back. They separated only enough to hastily eat and then Jill and Chris were drunkenly headed to the dance floor, leaving the two girls alone.

They sat in silence for a length of time as they watched the pair on the dance floor pulling some pretty idiotic dance moves before Rain turned to the redhead with a smirk. "So what does your brother pay hourly for babysitting? I think I've made my dues." She snickered as Claire's fist lightly collided with her shoulder.

"Please, don't tell me you didn't enjoy it."

"No, you're right. You're a pretty awesome date."

Claire's face sobered, her head tilting to the side as she watched Rain with a small smile. "You are too." The honesty of her reply caught the Latina off guard. Sipping gingerly on her Corona, Rain diverted her attention to their joined hands. A sudden tug and the onslaught of cold air to her lap where Claire just occupied alerted her just before she was lurched to her feet. "We're going to dance." Claire informed her before tugging the unsuspecting soldier to the dance floor.

Just as the black-and-white tile was underfoot, the redhead left her side to bounce over to the jukebox. She only took a few slides before she grinned, punched in a few numbers and made her way back to the waiting Rain. As the first notes filled the bar, a groan escaped from Rain's lips. "Jesus Christ. I fucking hate country music." She sighed, relenting as the redhead snaked her arms around a tanned neck and began to sway to the slow beat. Rain's hands rested timidly on slender hips and she moved with the taller woman.

"Come on, this song even has your name in it. 'Bring On the Rain' –to that I say," she moved in closer and rested her forehead against Rain's, "Bring on the." She paused, lips hovering inches from the brunette's and hot breath peppered Rain's face; stoking the fire low in the latina's stomach, "Rain." They remained like that, bodies flush and arms wrapped tightly around the other body. Claire closed her eyes and joined in on the chorus as it came along and like that, the song was over. Claire's eyes slipped back open to lock with the murky brown of her dates. She gave a toothy smile and surged forward, lips locking with Rain's. It was simple and sweet, but soon it was edging with passion and alcohol; tongues slid past pink lips and connected with delicious friction.

"I thought you said you could keep it in your pants."

The most unwanted voice disrupted the moment and the redhead pulled back with a glare to her brother. 'God, Chris, I swear you're a fucking cockblock."

"Look, if it was anyone else, I'd be all down for this lesbian action, but you're my sister and you're my best friend. There's like…rules against that or something."

"Bullshit Chris, you're the one who set this up. Isn't my fault your sister is hot and she's all over me." Rain defended with a smirk that Claire soon mirrored.

"Well me and Jill are heading out-"

"To go have sex." Claire filled in.

Chris shot a silencing glare at his sister and continued, "Just letting you know."

Rain glanced at the redhead in her arms and gave a small smile, "Do you…want to come over? I'm sure you'd rather not be around those two right now." She offered. The redhead didn't contemplate the offer for more than five seconds before she broke into a grin and nodded. "Bring on the Rain." She winked.


	2. Rain is Dead

All of Raccoon City, or what was left of it, splayed out in front of her like a map. Pillars of smoke billowed from various parts of the city as the fires that still smoldered, uncontained, lit up city. Despite the numerous undead that she knew littered the broken city, it was eerily quiet and, no pun intended, deathly still. The single road that leads to and from the city nestled in the valley crested over the tip of the valley wall before snaking its way into the horizon, shadowed like the death that plagued it. A crimson tide washed over the sky behind a lone figure as it rested on that crest, facing the city; a motorcycle was propped on the kickstand as a lithe frame leaned against it, arms folded over a red vest and a grey T-shirt. Mussed red hair buffeted past her face, gently caressing soft skin as it wisped past; it was unkempt and long, pushing past her shoulder blades and in desperate need of a trim. As the sunrise finally capped the skyline, the sky was thrown into a brilliant array of colors; red framed the sun like a halo, faded to light pink, then to a lush shade of purple that tinted the underbellies of the clouds before blending into the still navy blue atmosphere. A cool breeze swept through the forest as if the sun had awoken the sleeping earth and the redheaded woman looked up with a dark sigh of defeat.

Two months had passed since the T-Virus had leaked through what was later to be discovered as Raccoon City. Perhaps she wouldn't have felt the knife of guilt dig so deep had it been somewhere else, but Raccoon City was her birth place, and she felt betrayed that she had grown up with this abomination under her nose. Albeit she wasn't a current resident of Raccoon City at the time, she still felt like the culprit. And her brother, and Jill and Rain, had been here when it happened. Hell, Rain _worked_ for the company that did this. The redhead, despite all the other wild ideas of blame she'd pressed on her shoulders, couldn't even fathom someone like Rain intentionally working for a company capable of such things. Along with Chris, she had no clue where Rain was or if she was even alive; the singular thought of either of them being dead sending shivers of despair down her spine and her heart clench painfully in her chest. Her head hung forward and her gaze rested on her feet, silence engulfing her steady breathing and plunging her into a sense of nothing but herself.

Then the thick silence was disturbed by a hollow moan, hazed and distant but growing closer. Her head snapped upwards and narrowed eyes surveyed the road in front of her. In the distance she could see movement, much too quick to be zombie, and a blur of white as the thing darted out of view. She straightened out, hand hooding her eyes from the sun as she watched, with horror, as a dozen undead scrambled from out of nowhere in pursuit. Cursing, Claire turned back to her bike and swung a leg over it, simultaneously un-propping the kick stand and turning the key; the roar of the engine rumbling to life and only growling louder when skilled hands teased the throttle. Green eyes roamed the street in front of her once more, waiting with the engine humming in the background of her senses. That is, until something, or someone, was clambering on the back of the bike and the vehicle sagged at the new weight. Strong arms circled her waist and she saw a flash of blonde, but a simple word being commanded into her ear was all it took to jerk her form her surprise and into action. Her hand shot forward and the bike lurched into motion, the end fishtailing to the right and tilting them dangerously on the left edge of the wheel before the redhead leaned the other way, balanced them out and straightened the bike as she drove herself, and the blonde –girl? –away from Raccoon City. Iridescent green eyes cast behind her just in time to catch the undead that had finally caught up to their now missed prey. When they rounded the corner and the grotesque shells of once-alive-and-well humans were lost to sight, she turned her gaze to her passenger.

"I'm Alice." The woman greeted, eyes never leaving the road in front of them, though she knew Claire was examining her.

The redhead paused, gave a sigh and turned back around. "Claire." She returned, too tired to ask the questions she had on her mind. Instead, she found herself thinking of Chris and Rain, as she always did. It had been two months since she had seen them. The rumored date of outbreak was two days after their visit to Docks, to which Claire had left town the day after; after a night spent in the warm arms of a certain Latina goddess. She sighed fondly, blinking away the thoughts before they consumed her with grief. Only then did she realize she had no clue where she was taking them just that it was away from Raccoon City.

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere."

Nothing more was said for the hours that followed; the sun well into the sky by the time they neared a remote town to bunk down in for the night. The old motel was as nondescript as the rest of the town. The "Old Lodge and Inn" sign had been worn away to a hardly legible mess of letters, and the clunker of a car that used to belong to the Motel owner was just as battered. The Harley came to a stop outside of the lobby entrance and Claire was about to get off and fetch the key when Alice was already at the door and walking inside. A sigh trembled from her lips and she surveyed the parking lot as she waited. The next second, Alice was back at her side with a key dangling in her hand. "Room 3B" she informed, nodding her head to the left where the single row of rooms lay. Three doors form the lobby and both girls entered the small one bed, one bathroom room.

"I'll take couch." Claire looked up to the blonde, who was already settling into the uncomfortable-looking grey couch. Not one to argue for less, the redhead settled onto the bed.

"What were you doing in Raccoon City?" The question is out of Claire's mouth with a tone that offered a command, but the lilt that came from her exhaustion weakening it to a simple, grumpy phrase.

"I worked for Umbrella."

Red hair flew around tensed shoulders as wide eyes settled on the blonde who was curled into a ball against the armrest –knees drawn to her chest and arms wrapped tightly around them. "Umbrella? Do you happen to know Rain Ocampo? About this tall, "she motioned to the area just by her shoulder, "Latina, brunette, a total bitch if you ever met one?" A fond smile tugged at her lips, but the full extent was never seen.

The look on Alice's face was enough to send a cry of grief to her throat as despair flooded her; the look of pain, regret and sorrow marring the normally blank expression of the blondes face. "Rain is dead." She replied, voice hollow of the emotions on her face. She sounded tired; almost strained.

Weak knees sent the redhead onto the bed with a creak of the springs from her sudden weight. Dry sobs wracked her body as she buried her face in her hands, "Oh god." She didn't shift from the body that was suddenly next to her, nor the –what she supposed was supposed to be comforting- hand rubbing her back.

_The metal clink of keys hitting the wooden table resonated in the small apartment. The lights flickered on just as Rain shut the door behind her. "Home sweet home." She commented, chuckling softly. Claire glanced around the living room-slash-kitchenette and laughed._

"_It's quaint! I like it." She turned to face the Latina as Rain shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack. She then stopped just in front of Claire and smiled._

"_Yea? I like it alright." A hand was held towards the redhead and Claire looked at it for a moment before laughing and taking her coat to hand off._

"_So cordial." She teased, watching her hang it as well and then return. A hand grasped hers and tugged her to the couch. "Oh, I don't even get the honor of your bed?"The redhead couldn't help but chuckle at Rain's light blush._

"_Shut up. I wasn't even going to do that. I have a uh…rule."The Latina gave a sheepish smile as she laced their fingers between them. A curious eyebrow rose in response as Claire could only guess what the brunette was going to say next. At first, Rain paused, seemingly embarrassed by it before she shrugged lamely. "It's no sex…" The second eyebrow rose to meet the first on Claire's face, "On the first date." A silent 'oh' of understanding passed over her face._

"_That's very…gentlemanly of you." Despite the disappointment of not getting laid like she had expected, the unexpected development was almost a relief and a trait she suddenly found endearing. She paused with a look of contemplation before a mischievous smirk tilted the corners of her lips. "Doesn't mean we can't at least make out, right?"_

_A coy smile was returned to her and a low chuckle rumbled from Rain's chest as she leaned forward to capture soft lips. "No."_

Puffy eyes lifted from her palms to stare blankly ahead of her. "She meant a lot to you?" Alice's voice finally broke the silence. Claire nodded lightly and sighed, combing her fingers through her mussed hair. "I'm…sorry. Rain was a great soldier, and she died with honor." The lie that crept passed the blonde's lips, unbeknownst to Claire, dug the knife of guilt even further into Alice's chest. "She died like a soldier, doing what she knew was right."

Claire shrugged out of the hand on her shoulder and stood up with a snarl. "She wasn't just a soldier." She turned to face the blonde in anger. "She was my," she paused for only a split second, "Friend." She dropped off with a sigh of defeat and shook her head. "I didn't even get to say goodbye." She collapsed onto the couch and mirrored the position Alice was in only moments ago. Alice watched the redhead for a moment before her gaze dropped.

"We should get to sleep. We have to get moving by sunset."


	3. Why did you take it down?

**Hey ya'll! I know not a whole lot has happened in the story yet, but stick with me! Including this chapter, the ones after are going to get intense! We'll be seeing that Resident Evil setting we all love! Including some old-fashioned Infected butt-kicking, quirky innuendos and girls with guns! ;]**

* * *

The click of the shotgun as a skilled arm pumped the action and the shells were dispensed on the ground at her feet was the only thing to fill the normally quiet atmosphere. The echo of the gunshot still rang loud in her ears, but a content smile tilted the corners of pink lips nonetheless. About twenty feet from the building on which she occupied the roof of; a now lifeless form was crumpled in a bloody, messy heap of rotting flesh and bones. A cigarette rolled from one side of her mouth to the other as brown eyes followed the motion of scanning the area. The small ranch house was situated about forty acres out from the dark forest tree line that spread into the horizon like a wall. Between the looming pine trees and the wooden shack she had taken over was a stretch of flat meadow with yellow, dying grass as it swayed in the hardly existent breeze. Behind the structure was an endless see of rolling hills of the same meadow. To the right, about the same distances from the house to the forest was the edge of town before it was engulfed in trees and around the bend as the road through it leads further in town. The Undead were scarce around her particular temporary home, but they were often enough to keep you on your toes.

Cancerous smoke spouted from her nostrils like a dragon as she puffed on the Marlboro. She was grateful that the previous occupants of the house were about as redneck as they got –with a generous supply of guns, half of which were illegal, ammo and a basement that was stoked with enough food to house a multitude of people for months on end. The roof of the house was flat, which was odd looking for such a stereotypical wooden log house, but she didn't mind in the least. All in all, it was the perfect place to take refuge during the end of the world. Nothing else moved for a long time, and by the time she had finished her smoke and stamped out the butt of the cigarette, she was ready to head back inside to make herself lunch. Before doing so, however, she took the dagger that lay idle in her lap and carved another notch into the wood that crowned the house –making the count to twenty-four.

Movement caught her eye and she looked up from her handy work to see three figures hastily making their way towards the house. She rose quickly and looked closer to see that two of them were obviously undead, while the girl they were chasing was very much human. Tossing the shotgun away, the woman grabbed onto the sniper rifle she'd found stashed in the basement and raised it to zero in on the Infected through the scope. With a trained eye, the crosshairs lined up between the first one's eyes and she pulled the trigger. The undead fell as the girl let out a scream of shock and sped up. The second infected fell only a millisecond after the brunette reloaded the second bullet and lined up her shot. Surveying the scene, and content no more undead had followed, she quickly made her way down the ladder and onto the porch, where the gun raised again to aim at the girl who had collapsed on the steps about ten feet from her.

"You been bit?" She asked, voice hoarse from the lack of use. Fearful blue eyes rose to look at her as the blonde girl, no older then sixteen or seventeen, eyed the gun and woman.

"N-no." she shook her head in reply but the gun still hadn't lowered. "I swear, I haven't b-been bit." She was out of breath and the gun pointed steadily at her chest didn't help matters.

"Name." The single word rolled from the woman's tongue and the young girl froze.

"K-mart. Call me K-mart." She responded, voice pleading.

The gun finally dropped and the older woman gave a grunt of acknowledgement. Turning around, she headed through the sliding glass doors and disappeared from view. K-mart watched her go, unsure if she was meant to follow or not, before standing up and making her way inside. The place wasn't particularly fancy, but it seemed homey enough. The sliding glass doors lead through the living room and to the right was a hallway leading to two bedrooms and a bathroom, while the left side contained the kitchen, where she now spotted the woman rummaging through a cabinet of food. Timid, the blonde stepped into the kitchen and looked around. The brunette was facing away from her, clad in a white tank top and faded denim jeans. Her feet were bare, and her long brunette hair was in desperate need of a brush. Tendrils of pink flesh weaved their way into tan skin, and K-mart realized they were scars that peaked out from her shirt and along her shoulders and part of her neck. She let out a gasp of shock, and the Latina turned around to narrow her eyes at the teenager. Noticing the direction of her stare, the woman growled and plucked out a tub of peanut butter and tossed it at K-mart, who barely caught it when the plastic container slammed into her chest with a surprising amount of force. Her breath wheezed from her lungs and she blinked at the brunette as she shouldered her way past her and back into the living room with an opened can of sliced peaches in hand. "Bread is on the counter." Was all that was said as she plopped herself down onto the couch and began to eat.

Eyeing the peanut butter, the blonde slowly opened it and sniffed experimentally. Deeming it safe, she grabbed two slices of the albeit stale bread and followed after her. Taking a seat in the recliner next to the couch, the blonde scooped the peanut butter straight from the container onto her bread. Taking a bite, she examined the room even better. The walls had ugly, old fashioned wallpaper that was peeling in various places. The furniture didn't match –any of it – and the pictures along the wall depicted mostly deer and elk and various other hunting activities. There was one place where something circular had been removed made obvious by the cleaner wallpaper behind it that it had revealed. She pointed to it curiously, "What used to be there?" she asked.

The latina's eyes followed the finger to the wall as she slowly finished chewing her next bite. Swallowing, her eyes remained on it for a moment before returning to the can in her hand. She was silent for a length before shrugging. "Mirror." She replied before slipping another sticky-sweet peach slice into her mouth. K-mart's lips pursed in puzzlement.

"Why did you take it down?" Her blue eyes fell back on the brunette on the couch and the woman sighed in annoyance.

"Felt like it." She growled in return. Brown eyes rested on K-mart's face. "Stop asking questions."

"But…" K-mart's mouth opened to finish her sentence, but a silencing glare from the woman promptly shut it. She gave a sigh instead and attempted to quiet herself by eating. The other woman appeared to take comfort and enjoy the silence, but the younger girl was put on edge and she felt fidgety. The teen finished off her peanut butter sandwich and began to fiddle with the container. The woman before her was so mysterious and intimidating, but somehow K-mart didn't find herself threatened. She was intrigued at what kind of person the Latina must have been –before and after the outbreak of the T-virus. To be in this small town, nonetheless, and she seemed to know exactly what she was doing. She was good with a gun, had cabinets full of food and she was strategically placed. She had to know a thing or two about survival. Unable to stay silent for long, the blonde sighed again and looked hopefully up at the woman. The brunette, if she heard her, didn't show any signs of doing so and K-mart was slightly disappointed. Sighing just a little louder, the again watched to see if the Latina responded. She didn't. With another very obvious sigh that almost hurt her throat, the woman finally looked up with a tired, raised eyebrow. Brown eyes fixed on her with a look that said 'what do you want' and K-mart almost forgot what she had intended on saying before their little game. "What's your name?" she asked after a long amount of time. The woman had finished her peaches and was playing with a pocket knife she'd taken from her pocket. K-mart set the peanut butter on the coffee table and watched her with interest.

The knife stopped twirling between her fingers and she stared at it for a long time. Teeth worried a lower lip between them before the knife was back to weaving between agile fingers. "Stop asking questions." The phrase left her lips for the second time and K-mart let out a frustrated sigh. Throwing up her hands in defeat, K-mart stood up and stormed away –towards the bedrooms. The blonde went to switch on the light only to find it didn't work. Grumbling, she fumbled her way to the window and jerked open the curtains. Light filtered into the room to reveal a queen sized bed, a shabby dresser, a nightstand with a lamp and she noticed, randomly, that the mirror that used to be the back of the dresser was also removed. She looked around curiously when a throat was being cleared in the doorway. Whirling around, she saw that the woman had settled in the doorway with one shoulder against the frame and arms crossed over her chest.

"Rain." The woman said softly, eying K-mart in curiosity before she propped herself up from the doorway and uncrossed her arms. "You left your peanut butter on the coffee table." She chastised before she was gone.


	4. This is the Hive

**Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Sorry for the delay but updates will be a little slow. No internet at the new place, but I have all the time in the world to write so when I do update, you may get two or three at a time! Haha.**

"So this Dr. Isaacs guy, are you sure he's who we need to find?"

The redhead's question was the first one to be uttered since they had packed up the Harley with what they could manage and set out and away from The Old Lodge Inn. The sun was setting in the background and Claire felt exhausted from the events of that day –from finding Alice, to finding out about Rain, to crying herself to sleep only to be woken what felt like minutes later. A quick glance in the mirror told that her eyes were swollen and red, and she looked worn down more than she had the day before. Alice hadn't moved from her position on the couch with her shotgun set in her lap since Claire had finally fallen asleep. Green eyes slowly opened and settled on the blonde woman she barely knew and, as if Alice had sensed the younger woman's eyes on her, their eyes met in a silent acknowledgement.

"We need to leave."

They didn't have much to grab, but Alice had insisted on stopping and picking up a change of clothes, as well as to stock up on weapons. Claire had been reluctant to take the loaded gun Alice handed her, but her worry washed away when Alice placed a comforting hand on hers as she handed her the gun before walking away. Claire watched her, unabashed by the company, strip and change out of the lab coat she still wore. The blonde woman's body was thin, but had a feminine appeal that disguised the strength Claire could only assume she had. She looked frail, and a surge of protectiveness sparked in her mind –an urge to protect Alice. So she took the foreign weight in her hand and holstered it in the hem of her jeans.

They spoke little, but what it did entail was Alice's recollections of the way Umbrella worked, who was important to who, and how they could attempt to obliterate the company. By the time they had settled onto the Harley and had driven twenty minutes from town, Claire hadn't so much as questioned Alice on the plans –she was content to follow them. Anything to avenge the death of Rain and the possible death of her brother. When the words filtered from her mouth over the roar of the engine and the wind, Alice seemed to have no problem hearing her.

"Yes." She replied simply, "He's the only one I know of that can develop an antivirus. If we have any hopes of fixing this, we need to force him to make it."

The redhead nodded in response and chapped red lips pursed together in silence and contemplation. The single headlight illuminated first the forest as they sped through the night, and then it thinned to rolling hills and sparse pine.

Alice's directions lead them back towards Raccoon City, and respectively, the Arklay Mansion that served as the opening to the Hive. The instant the foreboding but beautiful building came into view, Claire felt the hairs along her neck stand in unease. Green eyes examined the massive architecture as Alice removed herself from the Harley and approached the double doors. Claire watched her a moment, then stalled the engine and followed after her. The large wooden doors opened up to a ballroom-like room; it was bare except the plastic-covered furniture that had been shoved into the corners. Two windows were shattered and Claire looked at them for a moment before turning to Alice, who had now stopped outside a mirrored wall. The two panels slid back to reveal an elevator and Claire eyed it suspiciously as Alice stepped inside.

"I was the Head of Security. I used to live here." Alice explained once the redhead had settled beside her and the elevator began its descent. Claire's eyebrow rose in question, but Alice continued without the prompt, "I'd been knocked out with a gas that the Red Queen had released into my shower when the T-Virus escaped. The Umbrella Soldiers came in to check it out." She didn't bother to mention Rain's presence among them, but it was the first name to pop into Claire's head and the redhead let out a dark sigh.

"So what happened down there?" Claire asked, plucking the gun from her holster and holding it at her side. The little light bar on the elevator was ticking closer and closer to the bottom and Claire felt uneasy about what they may face.

"My husband happened."

"You're married?"

"I was –as a cover up for Umbrella. He had released the T-virus into the laboratories and the Red Queen killed them all."

"Some husband." She retorted sarcastically, "But the virus reanimates corpses. They didn't stay dead."

"Like you would expect. Unfortunately we didn't know that at the time. Rain was the first one to encounter the Infected. The first one bit…" she spared a glance to gauge Claire's reaction, but the younger woman's face was void of all emotion. "Matt and I were the only ones to escape." She shrugged to finish her story, but Claire wasn't paying attention. The doors were opening to reveal the train cart, and she'd stepped forward to take point when they stepped off the elevator. Alice followed silently, blue eyes locked on the train. It, while it looked functional, was damaged to the point of almost not being recognizable as the same train she'd gotten on all those nights ago. Fire had warped the metal and left it chalked black in soot and ash. Claire had approached the train and was running her fingers along the cool metal in thought. Alice felt sorry for her. Her own memory of what had happened on that train still haunted her, and she could only fear what Claire would do if she also knew. For a split second, she wondered if Rain's body was still on the train, but dismissed it. Dr. Isaacs had had the Hive re-opened, and they would have removed the carnage. A pang of guilt stabbed her in the gut at the thought of Rain having been taken to experiment on and mangle.

"Coming?" Claire's voice brought Alice back to the present and the blonde nodded as she stepped on beside her. "What happened to the train?" She asked, green eyes resting on Alice's face.

"Explosion, I'd suppose." Was the only response. The redhead caught the brief tone and immediately dropped the subject. The entire train ride was spent in their own thoughts.

* * *

Nothing. There had been nothing to greet them the entire trip down fourteen floors. No dead, no undead, no nothing. The place was in disarray –tables overturned and chairs scattered about while papers littered the filthy floor –and by the time they reached their destination, their nerves were fried. The fourteenth floor, according to Alice's memory, was the security and information level. It was their safest, and best, bet. There were a few rooms, meant for experimentation or medical purposes, that had at one point been heavily guarded and stored all the equipment a scientist would need. The doors were closed, except for one that showed curious signs of struggle inside. Claire lifted her gun as she approached the room and peered around the frame to examine it. The single metal table in the middle was surrounded by equipment, though the majority of it had been tossed about and lay in a mess on the floor. Blood splattered the pristine white walls but the biggest surprise was the gore that littered the room. Two bodies had been mangled and dismembered; guts were strung from wall to wall. The stench was overwhelming and Claire's stomach turned on itself as she retched what little was in her stomach onto the tile floor.

Alice was at her side in an instant, taking in the sight with an indifferent gaze, though the blue orbs flickered with worry and a sense of familiarity. "We need to get what we need and go." She said softly, tugging Claire away from the room and to the end of the hall where another door was sealed. Alice stopped momentarily, staring at the codebox next to the door before sighing, "I don't know if they changed the code since I was here," she informed as she punched in six digits. The light buzzed green and both girls let out a sigh of relief. Inside was your typical security room; monitors lined every wall and computers were scattered across the desks. The redhead shivered at the silence and awkward silence of the place. For being the scene of such a crime, one would assume the Hive would have been infested with undead or in a much bigger state of disarray. Everything seemed too neat and clean for her liking.

Alice settled into a chair and swiveled it to face a computer monitor. It flickered on as she flicked the mouse and she was taken aback by the picture on the screen. They were security tapes, and recent enough to mark the re-opening of the Hive. However, the video seemed to have gotten stuck on the same five seconds and would replay the scene over and over again. A woman wore the same robe that Alice had been wearing when Claire found her, and the dark-haired woman had just finished ripping the guts out of a scientist with her bare hand and was seen fleeing the room; a last look at the camera and then everything went fuzzy. Both girls watched the screen in avid shock and curiosity as the scene was replayed to them; though the face shown back at them didn't look familiar, both survivors knew exactly who it was.

"Rain." Claire breathed.

Then everything lurched into motion. Claire began to ramble frantically; searching through papers and drawers alike to find anything she could about the Latina. It didn't take long to find one paper staring back at her from the desk, the dark-haired Latina's picture on the page screaming at her for attention. The paper itself was anything and everything she could possibly know about Rain's health –blood-type, age, medical conditions, allergies…everything. The next page was her record –criminal (Though the only offense read was 'speeding'), her address and the like. The last page held a report and scribbled handwriting along the margins.

'Day 15, Project Rain:

The T-Virus shows little signs of activity; 

Upped the dosage to forty milligrams;

Condition: Stable.

"Fuck. Alice," Claire turned to see that Alice was working hard on the surveillance tapes on the other monitors. One in particular gave her exactly what she needed to know.

"Dr. Isaacs is alive. Fled the premises via the main entrance." She sighed, "Good. We need him if we have any chance of…Claire?" The blonde voice faded to one of scolding; the redhead had withdrawn the glock from waistband and was staring at the repeat video with a look so wild that Alice suddenly feared for their safety.

"I'm going to find her." She growled, "Whether you help me or not, I'm going to find her." She made to step past the blonde, but the woman stopped her.

"We have no clue where she went, Claire. These tapes…they're a month old."

"So? We don't know where Isaacs is either. I'm going to find her, got it? Don't you think you owe it to her?" The redhead hissed; the defeat that hunched Alice's shoulders telling her she had said the right thing. "Now let's go."

"Claire…" Alice started, eyes cast to the floor, "Rain is dangerous. You saw what she did. She won't be the same person you remember. You need to understand that. What Umbrella did to her…" she dropped off, leaving the rest to Claire's imagination. "I'll help you find her, but be prepared. I don't think you'll like what you find."

Claire gave Alice a long, sorrowful look and then her gaze hardened in determination, "I have to try." And with that, she stepped out of the room to make her way back out of the Hive.


	5. Cigarettes and Peaches

**Another update! Yay! :P Also, I got bored and threw together a random cover-art for BOTR. You can find it on my profile **

_She hasn't changed. Sometimes I wonder if she has always been like this –so distanced and distrusting. I don't think she trusts me. I see her watching me when she thinks I'm not looking. She looks sad, and lonely, and I wonder if she had family that she lost –like I lost mine. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be scared of her, but I'm not. With her, I feel safe._

"You keep a diary?"

Deft hands quickly shut the worn leather-bound book with a thud and the young blonde offered a coy smile. Rain had been on the roof all morning, though the allure of lunch had brought her inside. The double-glass doors slid shut behind her as the Latina, though watching K-mart curiously, made her way into the kitchen. She picked out an unlabelled can and used the tip of her pocket knife to pry the lid open. "Yea I keep a diary. To remember what happens so the days don't just…blur together. Don't you keep one?"

Rain settled into her spot on the couch, face contemplative. "No. Waste of time." She shoveled a peach slice into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully as she watched K-mart lounge on the recliner, "What do you write about?" She asked curiously, the honest interest behind the phrase blindsiding the teen.

"Er-anything; who I meet, what I do, what I ate and where I go…Makes things feel normal." She shrugged lamely, "Gives me something to do." She offered a smile, trying earnestly to make the Latina feel comfortable. This was the most the woman had said to her at one time since she had arrived three days ago.

Rain eyed the book and nodded once before she was silent once more. K-mart offered a sigh of disappointment, "So what did you do before…y'know."

Rain shot her a look of annoyance at the question, and K-mart immediately resigned to knowing she wouldn't get an answer. When the tanned woman spoke, it seemed to shock them both. "I don't remember."

Brows knitted together in confusion, "You don't remember?" When Rain found it unnecessary to repeat herself or exaggerate on the matter, K-mart pushed her luck, "How did you get here?" she asked softly.

Rain seemed to puzzle the question over in her head before shrugging and looking down into her can of mush, "Found it." Brown eyes glided to meet blue and held the gaze for a long time. Silence settled over them before K-mart shifted uncomfortably and Rain mentally shook herself from her reverie. Standing abruptly, she turned and tossed her can deftly into the trash and grunted her disapproval at her lapse of defenses. K-mart watched her leave the same way she'd come and then the faint footfalls as the Latina returned to her spot on the roof.

It was pitch-black; it always was once the sun had dipped below the horizon. K-mart roused from her uneasy slumber to thick silence. Shifting out from under her covers, she stood on tired legs and trudged sleepily to Rain's room. To no surprise, the Latina's bed was untouched. Few more footfalls found the teen in the living room and staring out the glass doors. She opened it a crack and stuck her head out, "Rain?"

There was a shifting and then a soft sigh, "Up here." K-mart stepped out into the cold night air and made her way up the ladder. Rain sat in the same position as K-mart always found her in –day in and day out. She smiled, but was not surprised when the notion wasn't returned. She stood beside the chair and looked out over the area with her arms wrapped around herself for warmth, "It's late. You should sleep."

The woman scoffed, "Not tired." She grunted, eyes never leaving from the pocket knife twirling between nimble fingers.

"Do you ever sleep?" She'd settled in on the ground beside Rain and shivered against the cold air.

No reply was given, but she could feel Rain's gaze burning holes in the side of her face. There was more shifting and suddenly a warmth spread throughout her entire body as Rain shrugged out of her leather jacket to drape it over her shoulders. Blue eyes widened in shock as she turned to look up at the Latina, who had returned to playing with the knife. She opened her mouth to voice her gratitude, but the shock mangled it. "T-thanks." She stuttered, hesitantly pulling the jacket tighter around herself and nuzzling into it. It smelled of cigarettes and peaches, but the combination was strangely comforting.

"It's pretty out here." She said after her eyes began to droop and her body started to shut down again. She had to keep herself awake, and the best way she knew how was speaking. "The stars and the moon…" she smiled as she looked up at the said objects, "They're unchanging and when you look up at them, sometimes it feels like you're still back in a better place where there were no undead or nightmares."

Rain looked up and listened as the teenager spoke, face vacant of emotion save for the flicker of longing that flashed in her eyes. There was more silence as they both stared upwards for a long time, then Rain sighed darkly. "You talk too much."

K-mart gave an indignant sigh, "You say that a lot."

For the first time since K-mart met her, the Latina gave the briefest, smallest smile of amusement and K-mart's frown grew into an earsplitting grin. Rain studied her for a moment, and then shook her head. "You should be sleeping."

"So should you."

Rain growled in frustration but didn't argue the point further.

The next time K-mart woke up, she was back in bed and still wrapped snuggly in Rain's jacket.

She'd never asked about it, but she always wondered.

"Do you want me to leave?"

The question was out of her mouth without prior thought and the Latina stiffened in the lawn chair atop the roof. K-mart shrugged, "I guess I kind of just stayed because I figured survivors just banded together but…you don't seem to like me. That's cool if you don't and all; you're kind of a bitch anyway but I feel safe with you and I'd prefer to stay if I could." Rambling aside, the blonde drifted off on an awkward note and gazed hopefully up at the older woman.

Rain's face was scrunched in contemplation but her gaze remained ahead of her and at the bright and sunny meadow. "You think I'm a bitch?" She glanced at K-mart.

"Well…yea," K-mart frowned thoughtfully, "You don't talk a lot and when you do you're always saying 'you talk too much' or 'you left your shoes in the living room'. You're not very nice." She explained with a huff.

A grunt was given in response then a shrug, "You….make a really good peanut butter sandwich?" She offered lamely, turning again to face K-mart. The teen laughed and nodded humbly.

"Yea, I do make a pretty wicked PB&J." She gave a small smile, "It's not a bad thing, I guess. You just don't seem very happy."

"I'm not." Rain said after length, eyes roving back to her lap and the hands twirling the knife in it. They then lifted to gaze ahead of her, "I hate this. I miss Rex. I miss just sitting down and watching TV. I miss having an ice cold beer… I hate what they did to me." The Latina snapped off on the last word, having dropped into a reverie of thoughts and catching herself before she said too much. Unfortunately, she already had.

"What did who do to you, Rain?" K-mart didn't miss the sorrowful look on Rain's face and she pitied her.

Rain was silent for a long time and K-mart was never sure if she was going to reply or not when finally, "You talk too much."

A dark sigh was followed by a small smile and chuckle. "Yea, I know." Silence fell over them, like it always did, and things seemed like it would just be another tame day. K-mart had just stood up and was standing just along the ledge of the roof to stretch her legs when suddenly, Rain shot up from her seat and looked around frantically. "What?" K-mart breathed, looking around but spotting nothing. However, a loud boom rent the air and suddenly K-mart was being thrown sideways and off the roof of the house. A scream tore from her lungs before she could even register the fire that burst into the side of the house. She prepared for the sharp impact, but it never came from the direction she had expected it. Her arm was tugged unpleasantly as Rain's hand clasped around her wrist and the Latina hung half-way over the side of the house; K-mart's momentum having carried her into the side of the house rather than the hard concrete.

She was being swung sideways just as something –she had yet to understand just what it was- pummeled into the side of the house where she just was. She screamed again when she realized what it was; a big, nasty mutated _thing._ Its jowls dripped with rotten saliva and a long tongue danced in front of its face as curved claws dugs into the side of the house. Its eyes landed on hers and she saw death in them as it reached out for her.

And then she was falling again the remaining ten feet to land uncomfortably on her legs. She groaned, rolling backwards and staring up at a black-smoke filled sky and the fire raging above her; the hazy form of the brunette as she faced off with the licker now on the roof. She yelled out and tried to stand on unsteady feet, but Rain's voice stopped her.

"Run!"

She froze in her spot and stared up in horror as the mutant lunged and missed by just a hair when the woman sidestepped out of the way. The glint of metal caught her eye when she realized that the barrel of the shotgun was only feet from her. She went to reach for it, but suddenly she wasn't on her feet any more. The licker had turned its attention to the weaker human and Rain had jumped from the roof and shoved her away just as the beast barreled into the Latina and what would have been K-mart. They rolled away in a tangle of limbs and grunts. K-mart rolled to the side, grabbed the shotgun and stood with the barrel pointed at whatever the thing was.

But it was no longer moving and neither was Rain.

K-mart lurched forward with a cry of fear, but stopped short when the beast's shoulders began to roll back and for a moment, she thought it was still alive until she noticed it was Rain pushing it off of her with a grunt of effort before rolling to the side and coughing violently. K-mart's relief was audible as she rushed to the brunette's side and kneeled. "Rain! God, are you okay? What..?"

"We need to get out of here." Rain pushed herself up and stumbled over to the licker, where she rolled it over and K-mart saw the pocket knife that as imbedded in the licker's red gullet. The Latina tugged it free and wiped it on the beast's shoulder before pocketing it. K-mart stood and numbly followed the woman around the side of the burning house to the separated garage. Rain opened the door to reveal a shiny white Cadillac Escalade.

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere," Rain stated as she turned on the lights, revealing the walls covered in miscellaneous guns, knives and other crude weapons. She picked up a duffel bag and began to fill it with as much as she could. K-mart watched in curiosity and fear as Rain finally shouldered the bag and turned to get into the Cadillac. "They've found me." She stated darkly.


	6. Ambush and Rescue

When she was young, she'd always imagined the zombies like those in the cartoons. Slow, unintelligent, constantly moaning 'brains' like a fucking mantra and walking with their arms stretched outwards. She'd carry around a nerf gun and play the James Bond theme song while she ducked, dived and rolled around furniture as she shot at the family dog. She'd claim victory at the dog's yelp of surprise as it bolted for safety and for a little while, she'd feel invincible.

The brunette pivoted, her elbow cutting through the air with a deadly precision to connect to the soft, rotting flesh of the undead's throat; the force caving in the airway and the prominent Adam's apple to collapse inwards. Her pivot continued with practiced fluidity and her arm straightened out just in time to lodge the bowie knife deep into his temple, the crack of bone and the sickening squish of fluids and brain matter filling her immediate hearing.

They weren't slow. By no means were they intelligent, but the keen animalistic instinct that consumed their minds made them formidable, and in large masses they were a force to fear. If she had time to stop and really think, she'd laugh at herself. Laugh at the absurdity that, three months ago, she wouldn't have a clue about that fact. How would unsuspecting, naïve and cocky Rain know that to kill a zombie, you had to aim for the head? How was she to know that, as a virus spread across the globe, she'd wake up in so much pain she thought she was in hell at the white hot pain that blazed across her back and chest? How was she to know that she'd be fighting for her life as a horde of the undead bore down on her with only one thought on their mind? Kill. Eat. Survive.

The undead collapsed, but his spot was soon replaced by another as it stumbled blindly towards her. Knife abandoned, the woman stepped out of reach and brought the simple Glock handgun from the waist of her jeans and, in one swift motion that had been acquired through years of practice, flicked the safety off, cocked the hammer back and trained the sight at the space right between the eyes and pulled the trigger; another body to add to the growing pile of re-dead.

A body was pressed flush against her back and she twisted in time to place a bullet into the head of an undead that had gotten too close. She thought, idly, about someone else would think if they stumbled onto the scene they'd set up. Two women, back to back, one slightly taller than the other, guns raised and sending a flurry of bullets into the three dozen undead that circled them; bodies collecting at their feet and the body count only growing with each felled undead.

"We have to get out of here!" The command of the blonde teen behind her rose above the screeches of the undead around them. A smirk tugged at pink lips as the Latina gave a roll of her eyes.

"No shit, Sherlock." The witty comment flicked from her tongue with little thought. There was no thinking in killing, but there was lots of thinking in surviving. A trained eye roved around them for a moment to search for an opening; a weak spot that, if they worked together, they could burst through and flee back to the white Escalade EXT that they'd occupied only minutes before.

Another shot to keep the attackers at bay and Rain swung her head in the other direction to survey the scene. They had stopped for gas at Dino's, and had been forced inside so K-mart could grab a box of Tampax. Go figure Mother Nature had brought Aunt Flow just a little too early. At another time and another predicament, Rain would have teased the embarrassed teenager until the end of time about it, but she figured now wasn't the time or place. The interior of the shop had been empty upon their arrival, but before they had made it back to the Escalade, they'd been ambushed. Luckily, Rain had agreed to let K-mart have one of her handguns for safety reasons, but with the girl's untrained aim, most of those bullets were spent and getting them nowhere.

"I'm out of bullets!" Rain growled, tossing the Glock hard into the face of an advancing undead, figuring it'd be better use to stun the bloke than to just toss it aside. She had come into the fray with a Glock, her Bowie knife and her fists. Both weapons rendered useless, she had little choice but to resort to good old fashioned fists. Thankful that she'd trained hard in kick-boxing and boxing, Rain struck out with her left in a powerful suckerpunch to the temple, followed swiftly by an uppercut from her left. It did little to put the undead completely out of commission, but it was enough to send it flying back into the bodies of those around it.

And there it was; the opening she'd been searching for. She grabbed onto K-mart's wrist and tugged as she lurched forward and into the thinnest part of the horde. K-mart, thankfully quick to act, used her own gun to dismantle the few that remained in their way. At long last they broke free and Rain was in a full-blown sprint across the parking lot and towards the Escalade, K-mart hot on her heels and letting bullets fly over her shoulder as she ran. They were just about to reach their vehicle, their safe haven, when she noticed something they'd missed earlier—The half-dozen undead that had laid in wait by the car.

"Rain!" K-mart cried, coming to a halt just in time to avoid colliding with Rain. The Latina took one look at those in wait and the group that was only a couple yards away and quickly approaching before bolting in another direction completely. As K-mart caught up, her long legs keeping up with Rain as they fled. "I'm out of bullets!" the blonde gasped between breaths. Rain cursed their luck as she glanced over her shoulder to the mob chasing them.

"Well fuck them if they think Rain Ocampo is going to go down without a fight!" She snarled. They had made it to the main street that lead in and out of the town and she paused only a moment to decide which way to go, then she was running again—further into town. However, the roar of a motorcycle engine caught her off guard, and she barely had time to throw herself out of the way before the said vehicle was roaring past them and towards the zombies. A flash of red and blonde was all she saw before one of the women, the blonde, was jumping off the motorcycle, rolling to a stop and then raising with a shotgun poised. She began to shoot as the redhead, still on the motorcycle, skidded to a halt—the back end fishtailing and sliding forward until she came to a complete stop in a flurry of dust. She pulled a Hardballer Magnum from a holster on the thigh and started to shoot with a lethal aim at the dwindling number of undead.

Then, fast as they had come, the undead were exterminated and the blonde was kicking at each corpse to assure they would stay dead. The redhead propped the kickstand and looked back at Rain and K-mart, who had stopped to watch in amazement. A wave of relief flooded over Rain, but the pumping adrenaline kept her jumpy and, to an extent, angry. Huffing darkly, she waited tensely for the pair to finally make their way over -to collect a reward or whatever it is they'd want in return for their help. However, both women stopped short and dropped their guns. The taller one let out a cry as her hand flew to cover her mouth and Rain could just see the moisture building behind her eyes. Taken aback, the latina took a step back and clenched her fists. The blonde woman immediately drew her gun back up and narrowed her eyes cautiously.

K-mart raised both hands in surrender and Rain took a protective stance in front of her. "Thanks for the help, but we don't want trouble." Rain started slowly, watching both women as she spoke. The redhead finally dropped her hand and took a step forward with it outstretched. "Rain!" She murmured, smile curling her lips despite the tears now on her cheeks.

"Yes?" Again, she spoke slowly, as if doing any faster would cause the other pair to do something crazy. "That's my name. Do I...know you?" She pursed her lips in thought. Neither woman looked familiar and K-mart looked back and forth between the redhead and brunette.

"Rain, it's me! Claire? Claire Redfield?" She took another step and Rain tensed further.

"Back off." She warned. Claire obeyed by stopping in her tracks, but the defeat on her features confused Rain.

"Rain, she knows your name. She has to know you." K-mart finally objected. Rain shook her head.

"Ocampo, she speaks the truth. And I know you too, from the Hive. We worked together."

"So you know what happened to me?" Rain tone was angry and Alice's gun remained steady, though her gaze faltered slightly. "Look, I don't remember either of you and it's in our best interest to go our seperate ways." She turned to leave, but K-mart's tug stopped her.

"But Rain! They can help us! I mean, shouldn't we all stick together and it'll be safer, right?"

Rain sighed and dropped her gaze, "Not with me, K." She glanced up at Claire and Alice. "But as thanks I'll let them tag along for a few days and then we part ways. Understand?" She looked at K-mart for this. The teen nodded and stepped away from Rain to Alice and Claire.

"I'm K-mart."

"Hello, K-mart." Alice slowly lowered her gun, but her eyes remained on Rain as the woman went to retrieve her gun and knife. She turned to Claire and spoke softly to the silent, defeated woman. "Remember Claire, she isn't the same Rain you know. Give it time." And with that, headed after Rain to the Escalade.


	7. Bring On The Rain

**Here we go, Chapter 7! So I am aware most of you are ClairexAlice shippers and have told me your hesitancy to read this fic. Well, I understand completely and hope I can do some Claire and Alice justice, but I love Rain and Claire and this fic will remain as such. However, I hope you stick with me and continue to review! Sorry I didn't stretch out the reunion until longer, but I have a lot more in store for the future and need to get things moving. This chapter was kind of a joint two chapters just for that sake -to move things along. I hope you enjoy :) and Please Review!**

* * *

No matter how hard Claire tried, Rain refused to remember.

Even a sympathetic Alice had offered her own knowledge to jog Rain's memory, but the latina brushed them off and remained distant. The redhead and her entourage was forced to follow the woman and teenager on her Harley as they headed out of town in search of a safe house to settle into. That house turned out to be a plain suburban house in the next town over. Two stories complete with a basement that had been turned into a bar-room man-cave complete with stocked bar and pool table. After a thorough search to make sure no undead remained inside, the woman quickly settled into their own things.

Days went by and Claire was starting to lose patience with Rain. She tried to talk to her, tried to get her to open up but nothing she did made the latina any easier to work with. So she stopped trying and tried to move on -that is, until K-mart had a stroke of genius. The young girl and Claire had become close throughout their stay in the safe house (Though Claire didn't miss just how close she and Alice had gotten and how fond Alice was of the girl). K-mart turned out to be the comic relief and normalcy that both women had been searching for. She was there to cheer them up and suggest they do normal things like card games and eating dinner together. It was silly in the scheme of things, but it was a routine that Claire had come to rely on to keep her sanity.

* * *

The basement had come to be her permanent refuge. The perfect place to remove herself from the pain of seeing Rain and not being able to touch her, and the image that Alice had created for them –an image of normalcy and comfort that was so forced it made Claire sick. It seemed to work for K-mart. The young girl had taken to the blonde very well since their arrival, and Alice seemed fond of her in return. Rain hadn't changed much, and it was starting to get to the redhead.

"She was like this." Blue eyes flickered up in her peripherals and Claire scoffed with a soft sigh. "Before." K-mart finished. Claire turned her head just slightly to catch K-mart's gaze.

"Like what?" She feigned ignorance. A brief glance returned to the form of Rain Ocampo through the sheer white curtains of the living room. The Latina was always outside or on watch and Claire almost wondered if the brunette ever slept. She hardly ate; even when Claire offered to share her own meal and that didn't even say much about how silent she was.

K-mart followed the direction of the redhead's glance and she nodded knowingly in the same direction. "Rain. From when we stayed together. She doesn't talk, she doesn't sleep, she doesn't eat…Hell, I don't even think she takes bathroom breaks." She fell silent for a moment, "She just watches. She saved my life, you know. Several times." The blonde smiled fondly, "She's kind of like my hero."

Claire mirrored the fond smile and her gaze fell to her hands as they folded in her lap. They were settled in at the dining room table while Alice took the opportunity to sleep. It felt lonely, even with K-mart by her side. "She's kind of my hero, too." She muttered in response. K-mart's gaze bore into the side of her face and Claire could sense the curiosity behind it.

"What was she like before…you know." The words were tentative; as if the teen was afraid speaking too loud would startle the older woman.

A sigh was given and Claire let her mind wander, like it always did, to the night at Docks. She chuckled and shook her head as she looked back up to Rain's silhouette. "Her laugh was always my favorite part about her…and her smile. Like if she smiled, it would light up a whole room or if she laughed, all my worries would just…vanish." Another long pause of silence consumed the room before Claire shrugged darkly; "She was…"she searched for a word, but ultimately her mouth closed in defeat when none came to mind, "She was actually quite the gentlewoman., with stupid rules and everything." A coy smile and chuckle followed, "She had a 'no sex on the first date policy'."

K-mart face scrunched in disgust, "That's way," she drawled out the word for emphasis, "Too much information…." She dropped off, "So did you two ever get to the second date for base two?" Claire looked at the teen, recognized the playful glint in those blue eyes, and she began to laugh –a laugh so contagious that K-mart was soon joining her, and even through the cramps in their sides and the serious need to breathe, they couldn't seem to stop. When the relief finally came and the tears were wiped away, Claire shook her head. "No. I had to leave the next day and then this whole mess started." Her face sobered, killing the mood. "I wish I could go back. Meet her before all this happened and fall in love without having to worry about being bitten by infected people."

K-mart's face had lit up and the wonder on her face confused Claire, "You said fall in love…" The blonde voiced softly, tinted with excitement. Claire's brow furrowed, unaware she'd said 'love', but when her own words replayed in her head, her mouth dropped in shock.

"I-I didn't mean—"

"You said love! You _love_ Rain!" K-mart's excitement was growing and Claire shook her head.

"No! K-mart that's not…I didn't say that. I _like_ Rain, I don't _love_ her." K-mart looked eager to argue, but Claire's sharp glare shut her up, "I barely know her and obviously she doesn't remember me. So what's the point?" The bitterness broke through her tone and K-mart looked at Claire, then at Rain.

"So make her remember." K-mart had stood and was now standing in front of the redhead with her arms folded tight across her chest, "Make her remember you."

"I've tried!" Claire growled in frustration as she looked desperately at the teenager, "I've tried and nothing works!"

K-mart looked thoughtful, but the words out of her mouth were filled with confidence, "You need to kiss her." The suggestion blindsided Claire enough that she wasn't able to respond right away. A firm shake of her head, though, was more than enough. She opened her mouth to refuse, but K-mart beat her to it, "Kiss her and make her remember."

"I can't just kiss her, K. I've got to do something more. Something to set the…" her eyes widened as realization struck her. "Mood." She shot up from her chair, "I know what to do." She bolted for the door leading down to the basement with K-mart hot on her heels.

"I'm going to help." Claire looked back at her and gave her nod of thanks before grabbing her coat, then the Cadillac keys.

"Grab the guns. We're going out."

Rain had tried to stop them from leaving, but Claire had assured the brunette that they would return soon, and the half-lie of 'needing to grab some things from a store'. When they finally arrived at their destination, K-mart scoffed. "Wal-mart? I think I'm supposed to be offended or something."

"Relax, I won't tell anyone. Our little secret." Claire chuckled as she pulled the Cadillac up to the curb and stalled the engine. It looked empty enough and no Undead, surprisingly, were in the parking lot. Stocking up on their weapons and flashlights, the pair exited the vehicle.

Inside, only a lonely Undead here or there greeted them, mostly Wal-mart employees from the uniforms they still bore, and Claire took them out with ease. Their little tour took them through various parts of the store, and required K-mart to push along a rattling cart. Nothing went terribly out of hand, and by the time they had gathered all the things they needed, they were almost enjoying themselves. Claire knew what food was stored at the safe house and was pleased to know most of what she required was already owned. She'd stopped to pick out a new outfit or two, and even K-mart had grabbed new clothes. However, Claire took a turn to head for the electronic department and K-mart watched the redhead browse through the isles until, with a grin of triumph, she grabbed what she needed and led them back to the car.

Rain greeted them in the same spot she had been when they left. Eyeing the cart, -which the girls had just tossed into the back of the Cadillac to save time- Rain raised an eyebrow. "Have fun?" She asked. K-mart gave a secretive, knowing grin and Claire just nodded as she pushed the cart inside.

"Hey…Claire? Can I…talk to you?" Both girls stopped and K-mart gave Claire a grin of encouragement while the redhead felt her heart flutter. Rain was standing in the doorway clad in her normal attire –shorts, tank-top and her leather jacket –and Claire was reminded of the first time they had met.

"Y-yea, sure." Claire left K-mart to unload the cart into the basement while she stepped outside with Rain. "What's up?" The porch wasn't very big, and Claire noticed immediately their close proximity. Rain seemed to notice it too and she stepped back as much as she could.

"I just want to tell you that I think it would be best if you don't leave like that again." Rain explained, eyes flickering around them but never directly landing on Claire.

"Oh." Claire felt the disappointment clench her heart and she shrugged, "I can handle myself, Rain." She argued, almost offended by the insinuation.

"I know you can," Rain defended, "I just feel…better if you stay close." Claire didn't miss the hesitation in the admittance, but the simple idea of Rain getting protective made her smile.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried." Arms crossed over her chest as Claire taunted the soldier.

"Yea well? I just don't want you to die, okay? We can't take down Umbrella alone and we need all the help we can get." The cover-up was believable, "So don't go messing around just because you want a new pair of shoes, alright?"

Claire's lips pursed in annoyance, "Yea, got it. Is that all you wanted?"

Rain paused, looking as if she wanted to say more, but she shook her head. "No." The Latina dismissed her by turning and returning to her seat. Claire sighed and headed back inside. K-mart had finished unloading and looked up when Claire entered, eager to ask what had been said but Claire's expression stopped her short.

"What was that about?"

"She said we shouldn't go out like that. Feels better if she can watch us." She shrugged and headed to the kitchen, where she began to gather the ingredients she would need. K-mart sat at the bar stool and watched while Claire moved around the kitchen.

"So what are you making, anyway? Can I help?"

Claire smiled, but shook her head. "Well? Actually, it's pretty much done. Will you just watch this while I take a shower and get ready?" K-mart nodded and took up her spot as Claire vanished upstairs with one of the new outfits. Roughly thirty minutes later, Claire returned clad in the light-blue skinnies, white top and black heels she had bought. Her hair was still damp, but looked stylish even then. K-mart grinned at her re-appearance and motioned to the now cooked meal.

"Thanks, K. Would you mind…going upstairs or something?" K-mart raised a brow at Claire's flushed cheeks but nodded and headed upstairs.

"Good luck, Claire."

"Hey. I hope you're hungry."

Rain had heard the front door open even before the redhead was stepping out and making herself known. A delicious aroma filled her nose and she looked up in bewilderment as Claire settled into the plastic chair next to her with a Corona and a plate in hand. The stars shone brightly, even over the glow of the lights from the window behind them and Rain's eyes widened at the food being offered to her.

"I love green chili burgers." Rain couldn't help but give a swift, small smile of thanks as she took the plate and held the burger in her fingers like a foreign object. "It smells amazing," She watched Claire set the Corona on the ground by her chair, "Thanks."

"I know and you're welcome." Claire grinned. Leaning on the armrest, Claire watched Rain take the first bite and all but melt into the taste. "I hope you like it."

"It's…great. Thank you." Rain paused between bites and her brow furrowed as she looked Claire over, "Is this what you went 'out' for?" Claire's bashful smile confirmed the answer and Rain set the burger back on the plate. "Why?"

"I thought you could relax. You've been out here all day and I wanted to thank you."

Claire turned her gaze to the burger and shrugged, "I knew you liked them –from before."

Rain's brown eyes fell back to her plate and she fiddled with the object on it. She seemed to contemplate something again and, again, she dropped it. "It's because I'm Latina, isn't it?"

A breathless chuckle escaped Claire's throat, but the sorrow behind it was barely masked by the mirth. "Yea, it is." She said softly. She sighed and watched as Rain slowly ate the rest of her meal before standing and heading inside. Rain watched her go as she chewed thoughtfully on the admittedly delicious burger. She didn't expect her to return, so when the door opened again only moments later to reveal the redhead carrying a small CD player, Rain immediately frowned.

"What's that for?" She asked. Claire stared at the object for a moment as if she herself didn't know what it was before turning to smile at the Latina.

"To help you remember." She held out her hand, but the befuddled brunette just stared warily at her. When no move was made, Claire sighed and reached down to grab a tanned hand in hers and pulled the girl upright. "Dance with me." She explained as she reached down to press 'PLAY' on the device. The simple guitar melody filled the porch atmosphere and Rain tensed under the hands placed firmly on her hips. Green eyes bore into hers, but the older woman merely swayed stiffly with her arms at her sides. Claire grabbed onto her wrists and guided them to her shoulders and then returned her own hands to slim hips. It had been so long since she'd really been able to just touch Rain and the electricity and warmth that tingled in her fingertips and soon her whole body felt like ecstasy.

"I hate country music." Rain objected, face sullen and annoyed. Claire's hearty laugh threw her off.

"You said that last time, too." Claire adjusted her grip so that Rain was pulled closer to her. _'Cause tomorrow is another day, and I'm thirsty anyway so bring on the rain._ They swayed in silence for a moment. It felt weird to be the one leading the dance, and Claire almost wished it was Rain holding her hips and pulling her close while her own arms wound comfortably around her neck. It was backwards, she realized with a pang of regret. Backwards because she needed to remind Rain of what she had felt that first night at Docks.

Rain shifted uncomfortably, but Claire just pulled her closer so they were only centimeters from each other. "Claire-" Rain started, but the redhead just shook her head.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" Claire's voice was laden with more emotions than Rain could put a finger on and the brunette visibly flinched. "What happened before the Hive? Do you remember Chris? My brother? Or Jill? Do you remember _me?"_

"Claire-" Rain again started to protest, but she broke off with a shake of her head, "I remember Chris, but just barely. I can't remember his face. And no, I don't remember Jill either." She paused and met unwaveringly with Claire's gaze. "I…" She paused, mouth gaping before she noticed the song had ended and she went to pull away. Claire held her steady.

"You don't remember me, do you?" The words hurt. They hurt to think and it hurt even worse to say them out loud. But what hurt the most was that Rain hadn't denied them; hadn't said otherwise. Not being remembered was the part that hurt the most.

"I'm sorry, Claire." Rain didn't move when Claire removed a hand to run her fingers through red hair. "I wish I could. I bet we were great friends-"The half-sob, half-laugh from Claire's chest cut her off and Rain's eyes widened just slightly when tears began to filter from the corners of beautiful green eyes. Rain had never felt so lost about what to do. She wasn't used to these sorts of things; she hadn't felt them herself in so long. All she felt was pain and resentment for Umbrella. But seeing Claire so visibly upset was enough to bring out a side of her she hadn't seen before. Her thumb lifted to wipe at the tear trail on a soft cheek when Claire refused to stop the tears from falling.

"Bring on the Rain." Soft, ever so much just a whisper that Rain almost missed it hadn't she been paying attention. Rain's brows furrowed as Claire smiled, "The name of the song." Rain nodded her mouth opening in an 'oh' of understanding. "I picked that song at the bar because it had your name in it."

"Oh." The expression voiced, Rain still wasn't sure what to make of the redhead's intentions. The firm tug on her belt-loop that pulled her flush against Claire, however, gave it away. Her eyes widened in shock and understanding when Claire ducked slightly –head tilted to the side just barely and eyes slid half-closed as green irises locked on Rain's suddenly very dry lips –and then Claire's lips were against hers. For a few painful seconds, Rain didn't return it; they stood in that awkward limbo filled with passion and regret, hope and confusion that neither of them knew what to do with it just yet. Then slowly –so slowly –the brunette started to respond. There was no tongue or teeth to devour the other mouth, but a ginger edge to it as Claire tried to hold back and Rain tried to figure out just exactly they were doing.

Then everything stopped –Rain's mouth no longer moved with Claire's and her whole body tensed. Claire knew something was wrong, even before the hands on her shoulders shifted and forcefully shoved her back. Trouble green eyes opened to see Rain had already stormed inside without a word and her legs collapsed beneath her until she was a heap on the ground as sobs wracked her body. She hardly noticed 'Bring on the Rain' playing on repeat in the background.

"Claire? Can you pass me the syrup?"

Alice didn't for one second miss the tension in the room the first thing she had woken up to find Claire had made waffles that morning and everyone had gathered around the table. As she stood at the entrance to the kitchen, she watched the redhead pick up the brown bottle and scoot it towards K-mart. She turned her head to catch that Rain was picking tiredly at her mangled waffles and Claire has pushing around the patty with her fork. The redhead's eyes were puffy and red and Alice wouldn't put it past Rain to be the cause of it.

"Rain? Can I talk to you?" Alice stood behind the woman in question's chair with her arms folded across her chest.

"I don't feel like talking." Rain sounded tired and her curt reply annoyed Alice.

"Fine, I'll talk and you tell me what I want to know." Alice didn't miss Claire's gaze flicker momentarily to Rain and herself before returning to her plate.

"Fuck off, Alice." Rain angrily shoved a bite in her mouth, her tone offering no room for argument. There was a moment where Alice's frustrated sigh was the only sound in the room except for the metal clink of K-mart's fork.

"What did you do to Claire?" She settled into the chair beside the fuming ex-soldier, the question finally having formed correctly despite all the bluntness of it. All three bodies around her tensed; K-mart busying herself by focusing more intently on her syrup and waffles, while Claire let her green eyes fall on Rain as the question hung in the air. Rain glanced up from her plate to Claire and then shrugged darkly as she hastily shoved another syrup-soaked waffle bite into her mouth.

"Nothing." She growled. Claire's gaze dropped to her plate in defeat and Alice gave a groan of annoyance as the situation grew that much more problematic. She really didn't need quarrelling amongst her friends, and Rain was always the more pessimistic of the crowd.

"Bullshit."

The words came out of her mouth with a little too much zeal, "I said I didn't do anything, blondie. Now fuck off." Shoulders hunched even further as Rain attempted to block Alice from her with it; as if withdrawing into herself would fix he problem that was Alice lingering at her side.

"What did you do?" Alice wasn't going to give up that easily, and Rain seemed to realize that.

"You know what? Fuck this. Something goes wrong here and suddenly it's my fault." The chair screeched against the tile floor as Rain stood abruptly, her plate shoved away from her with a nasty clink of jumbled dishes. Brown eyes settled on red hair before rolling in exasperation. "Ask her what the fuck is wrong with her. I didn't do anything." She repeated, maneuvering between the chair and table until she was passing Claire and heading out of the room. Everyone, minus Claire, watched the brunette leave.

"Claire?" Alice turned her attention to the redhead, but the woman was already standing and taking her untouched plate to the sink, where she dumped it and headed for the downstairs basement. With her gone, Alice threw up her arms in exasperation as she turned back to K-mart, who was still eating her waffles like a guilty teen caught in an act. "Why won't anyone just give me a fucking answer?" Blue eyes turned condescending, "What did _you_ do?"

"I didn't do anything! I get blamed for everything, I swear!" Although Alice knew the teen was over-exaggerating for humor, the blonde still looked unnerved when she too stood and exited the kitchen.

A mouse caught the corner of her eye as it darted across the now majorly empty room. The small grey creature stopped in a corner and turned to watch Alice, its sides heaving with effort and eyes wide in fear. Alice smirked in amusement, "What? Are you going to run out on me too?" The mouse vanished in a hole in the wall while Alice forked a mound of waffles onto her plate with a sigh.

There was no event for days to follow. No undead wandered by, they hadn't run short on food and the atmosphere hadn't changed. Claire remained holed up in the basement for the majority of the day while Rain sat outside and fiddled with her pocket knife; Alice and K-mart were forced to tiptoe around the tense females and it seemed like a blanket of tension and silence had fallen over the household.

The room was dark –she usually kept it that way. The dull glow of the bar lights barely lit a quarter of the room, but it was enough for her to see by. The clack of heavy ceramic balls filled the silent room; the redhead was bent over the elaborate oak pool table with the pool stick in hand and the now split balls rolling around on the table. Three balls dropped and the redhead gave a long sigh before taking up another position on the table. She heard the door open to the basement, but she refused to look up from her lined up shot to see who it was who had entered. Another flick and another ball landed in a pocket. She finally looked up, but was met by an empty room. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she craned her neck to see up the stairs –still no one.

"Hello?" She said gingerly as she gripped the wooden pool stick tighter in her hand. She went to move, but pressure on her hips sent a yelp of fear into her throat and she pivoted with her make-shift weapon aimed to hit whatever it was touching her. The pool stick stopped just inches from hitting Rain's face.

The Latina had grabbed a hold of the stick before it made contact with her temple, but the other hand was still planted firmly on Claire's hip. Despite her initial fear and want to cuss the Latina out for scaring her, Claire remained silent as she watched Rain; the pool stick still in the air where Rain had stopped it. The younger woman was breathing hard, though the fear was slowly being replaced by excitement and worry. The look on Rain's face was hard to read; her brows inclined inwards in a light crease as if she were thinking about something while her gaze locked with Claire's. A pink tongue swiftly wet dry lips as the brunette's gaze inched down to the other woman's mouth.

She was about to open her mouth –to say something or ask what the ex-soldier thought she was doing, but the woman seemed to sense it and began to lean hesitantly forward; her eyes never leaving Claire's lips until her own were pressed tentatively against them and they drifted shut. Claire's breath hitched, but she didn't press Rain to move faster –to kiss her like she wanted her to be kissed. When Rain's tongue slipped past her slightly parted lips to brush across her teeth, Claire let out a breathy whine –as if holding back was physically laboring and painful, but she opened her mouth just a little more to allow the Latina entrance.

Their mouths moved together as Rain's actions started to lose any hesitation and grew hungrier; as Claire finally let herself kiss Rain back. Then it was over and Rain's forehead was against hers and she opened her eyes to see Rain's brown eyes already boring into hers. There was a moment of silence as they tried to regain their breathing before Rain spoke. "I think I remember." She said softly, before the warmth of her body against Claire's was replaced by cold air and the woman was already half-way up the stairs by the time the pool stick hit the ground.


	8. The Highway Graveyard

"…It was created viscerally. The primal instincts of any creature, magnified into a simple urge."

There was a pause on Rain's end as she mulled it over carefully. A can of peaches was clasped casually in her hand and her cheeks bulged slightly with the slice she'd just added; juice dribbled down her chin but she didn't seem to take notice. Finally she swallowed and fixed K-mart with a pointed stare. "You sure know a lot of big words." She mused, wiping her chin with her sleeve. K-mart seemed un-baffled by Rain's tease, but instead smiled smugly.

"Just admit it, I'm right." She countered.

Rain shrugged then shook her head. "You're not, though I admire your effort to prove me wrong."

"That's not true!" By now, K-mart was looking quite undignified. "We all know the zombies are just shells of people, driven on by the virus to fill one simple need. To eat."

Rain didn't look like she was about to reply, but the presence of Claire returning from the basement caught her eye. She followed the woman's gait until the taller redhead settled into the recliner adjacent to her and gave K-mart a coy smile, "I have to agree with K-mart here. You haven't given us one bit of good information to prove it wrong, Rain." Her green eyes danced over to Rain and settled on brown.

Rain shoved another peach slice in her mouth and again took her time to reply. As she opened her mouth to do so, Alice appeared as if from nowhere and settled on the ground beside K-mart. "I'm also interested to know why you think the Infected retain human functions." A look of knowing flashed behind the blonde's eyes that Rain didn't miss.

"I didn't say _all_ Infected,"

"You didn't clarify that before." K-mart cut in.

"…Just that there are Infected who aren't as primal, that keep a mostly normal humanity." Rain finished. She huffed, finished with her peaches, and got up to throw the can away and place her fork in the sink to wash.

"So, what the T-virus was meant to accomplish in the first place? A super-human?" Claire offered.

Rain seemed to think about it for a moment then nodded. "More like a monster, but yes."

"That would require not only a near perfection of the virus, but a suitable human." Alice added.

"Who is to say they haven't already reached that perfection, or found suitable bodies?" As almost an afterthought, she added, "What would make a suitable body, anyway?" She was lost in thought as she roughly scrubbed at her fork. "A freak?" Her hand slipped off the sponge in her anger and the fork sliced the pad of her thumb. Blood welled to the surface and, like snapped from a trance, she stared curiously at it. When she spoke again her voice had dropped several pitches in volume and taken a rueful tone. -"Can things ever go back to the way it was before?"

The MK14 rested on the brunette's hip, relaxed but poised for the ready. A crack of thunder rumbled in the distance, carried by the bitter breeze to their ears. Claire sat with her back to the wall, cap drawn over her eyes and arms crossed over her chest, completely at ease. The last rays of sunlight were being chased away by bumbling grey clouds and the wind picked up. Dark brunette hair tossed listlessly in the gathering storm, stinging her face but she never blinked. Like a statue, everything about Rain seemed still and calm. Behind her, Claire was finally starting to doze off. No matter how long she had tried to get Rain to take a break, she ended up just giving up, and eventually knew nothing would get past Rain and let herself relax.

"You can feel the storm building. It's like it's building inside me too."

Claire glanced from under the bill of her cap at Rain's profile, blinking curiously. "It must be the namesake." She replied, shrugging at herself in loss of how to reply.

Rain frowned, the crease furrowing her brows in thought and Claire found it sexy -the way her eyes unfocused just so slightly and her lips pursed in thought. Rain shook her head, eyes focused on the red-gray horizon. The first drops of rain fell onto her nose and they both looked up curiously. Claire tipped her ball-cap over her eyes and watched Rain, unmoving and unfazed by the growing precipitation. Her eyes were dark and her hair, pulled back, was being whipping about in the angry wind. Again, Claire wondered why it was Rain seemed so different; how it seemed nothing could ever deter or harm her.

When Rain spoke, a foreboding chill crept down Claire's spine and she hugged her jacket closer against the cold.

"I don't know. Something bad is coming. I can feel it." A crash of thunder rolled just overhead and the heavens opened to let the rain fall.

"So where exactly are we going, anyway?"

"West."

"Just…West?" K-mart echoed, pushing for more details.

Alice merely shrugged, "That's all we've got right now. We can't stay here any longer."

"This place is perfect, though!" K-Mart frowned, looking at the house she'd started to hopefully think could be home. "Why?"

"Rain feels it's time to move on. I don't know what's driving her, but something tells me to trust her." Truth be told, she could feel the dark creeping in on them as well. "Besides, it'll be just like a road trip. Me, you, Claire and Rain, all crammed in one vehicle for hours on end…" she frowned, suddenly displeased with the implications of finally moving on. Maybe she'll opt to drive the motorcycle behind the truck just for the peace. It was a nice bike, after all, and she'd hate to leave it behind.

"Sounds like a blast." K-Mart huffed sarcastically, "I wonder if Rain knows how to play I-Spy…"

"_So, what? This like the military?"_

"_Hardly," said the balding man, his lips pursed in barely hidden annoyance. These military brats were all the same, cocky and arrogant, but at least this one had some credit to back up the high ranks. "Don't fret, your job will be very important, kind of like the S.W.A.T team of Umbrella." He smiled plainly, trying to use words the woman would understand._

_The brunette furrowed her brows, knowing he was being an ass about this whole thing. "Look, bud, I'm not stupid .I was looking over the files and military background was preferred, so I'm curious why."_

"_For protecting the assets of Umbrella. It's essential you be prepared for anything and everything." He stated, glancing over the woman's resume. "You seem to fit the bill, and you've got enough credentials to land in our special commando unit. One will be pleased."_

"_One?"_

"_Your commander."_

"_Why do I feel like I'm signing up for mall cop duty?" Rain grumbled._

_The bald man gave a toothy, malicious smile that showed his cigarette-yellow teeth, "I assure you, Miss Ocampo, you'll get just what you're looking for. Just sign the dotted line."_

The Escalade was silent save for the rush of the wind whistling past K-Mart's cracked window. A light jam of classic rock droned softly in the background and everyone was too tired to keep up a conversation. They'd left early that morning and the sun was dipping below the horizon in front of them. It'd been a long day of travelling, and all four women were in need of a little stress relief. Rain drove, with Claire occupying the passenger and the two blondes sat sprawled in the back seat. An old town was rolling into view and a few infected stumbled about along the road.

"Are we there yet?" K-Mart spoke from the backseat. Rain glanced at her in the rearview mirror to find the teen with her head back, staring open mouthed at the ceiling. She chuckled when Claire opted to throw one of the CD cases at K-Mart's stomach. The redhead had been sorting through the dozens upon dozens of CD's that she'd found stashed throughout the car. Nothing interesting had caught her eye, and after having played a song off of almost every one of them, she was growing frustrated. K-Mart tossed it back and they chuckled for a bit. Rain, however, watched them with a curious expression for a moment before grabbing a 'Ladies of the Eighties' case and rolling down her window.

After a moment of concentration, she tossed it out the window with surprising force and lodged the case into a zombie's head. It crumpled to the ground and K-Mart nearly launched out of her seat in excitement. "Holy crap, Rain! How'd you do that?! That was wicked!" She grabbed a CD of her own and aimed it at another zombie, but missed entirely.

Alice frowned, then after grabbing her own case and rolling down her window, launched one at a zombie. It hit it in the head, but bounced off and the zombie only pitched forward face first into the dirt. Claire, already caught on, was carefully zoning in on a particularly fat zombie strolling down a sidewalk. Her throw was good, catching it on the side of the face, but it, too, clattered to the ground.

Fifteen minutes had passed and, depleted of CD's, the girls tallied up their scores. "Rain 10 for 10, Alice 12 for 15, me at 8 for 13 and K-Mart with a score of 3 of 18."

"You all cheated." K-mart objected.

"Don't worry kiddo, you'll get the hang of it next time around." Alice added in. She watched the road in front of them as it passed and suddenly pointed to a sign along the side of the road. "Twenty miles until Albuquerque."

"We'll spend the night here and continue in the morning."

Alice glanced into the rearview mirror and met Rain's eyes with a slight nod. "Sounds like a-" The car lurched to a sudden and painful stop, before the momentum caught up and the rear wheels skidded sideways. The car was thrown off its wheels and all four occupants were tossed ruthlessly to and fro inside the Cadillac. The car vaulted, somersaulting into vicious corkscrews that pounded the top and sides of the car until finally it skidded to a halt just off the bank of the road amidst a screeching of metal.

_The room was cast into flickering lights and a muted conversation filled the living room. Claire was leaned against Rain's side and the Latina had one arm draped over the redhead's shoulders. Rain's feet were propped against the coffee table as they watched _Taxi_ on the small television. _

"_Queen Latifa has to be one of my favorite actresses." Claire commented._

"_I'll have to agree to that. She's not my favorite, but I do enjoy just about any movie she's in." Rain commented before a wicked smile turned her lips. She nodded to the screen. "But Gisele? Whole reason I watch this movie." _

_Claire took a moment before she chuckled, "Yea. When she frisks the cop? Best fucking part." They both erupted into soft laughter before Claire shifted to watch Rain. "I have to admit, I thought tonight was going to be a major letdown. Thanks for proving that wrong."_

_Rain lifted a brow but didn't take her eyes of the screen for a few seconds, but she smiled and nodded. "I had no idea Chris had a hot sister, otherwise I wouldn't have made him call off that debt I owed him."_

"_Nice bribe. Should've made him throw in fifty bucks." Claire smirked, "Debt free with a badass babe in your arms. Have to say, luck was on your side tonight."_

"_Yea," Rain started, smirking at the redhead resting against her side, "I'm going to have to agree to that, Red."_

It smelled of smoke.

Her head throbbed and, at first, she had forgotten where she was but the smell of smoke was telling her something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. She turned her head and found shattered glass everywhere, and blood. She looked behind her to see that K-Mart was relatively unharmed but just rousing from a nasty hit to the head. Alice was still out cold and Rain….

Was gone.

She straightened out, fear spurring her to ignore the pain lancing through her battered body. She unbuckled herself and carefully climbed through the broken windshield. "K-mart, stay here with Alice and try to wake her up. I'm going to try and find Rain." She tried not to let the panic show in her voice. K-mart nodded and settled closer to Alice. Claire turned and scoured the landscape. There were cars packing the highway. Most were overturned or in various stages of damage. Some had just been left and a few she noted sadly still contained bodies. She wrapped her arms around her torso against the pain and wasn't surprised to feel gooey warmth.

"Rain!" She called but she received no answer. She walked back along the highway in the direction they had come from. "Rain!"

"Red, move!" Rain appeared out of nowhere, a look of pain and desperation marring the parts of her face not covered in blood. She bulldozed Claire out of the way with a roar just as something both terrifying and shocking soared just over their heads right where Claire had been standing. The giant axe buried itself into the side of a car and Rain was tugging Claire away. "Get back to the car! Get Alice and K-mart and get somewhere safe."

"No." It wasn't an answer of disbelief or anguish, but simply a word that offered no room for arguing. Rain met her eyes for a brief moment, mouth parted to say something but she closed it and made a beeline for the Cadillac with Claire right on her heels. She wrenched the driver's side door open and reached into the glove box to retrieve the Magnum she always kept there before handing it to Claire. She noticed K-mart was still trying to wake Alice and pointed to the duffel bag that had previously been at their feet now wedged in a corner. "Guns and ammo in there. Use them if you need them." Then she turned around and looked at Claire. "Don't you dare get yourself killed." She paused, looking like she wanted to say something else, before she focused on something behind Claire. "Run."

Then she was off; running, but not in the same direction Claire had. Claire had moved down the highway, away from the Cadillac, but Rain had run right at whatever it was that had been chasing them. Claire turned, red hair flashing as she watched Rain quickly advance on a massive infected beast. He was twice as tall as Rain, if not more, and it had just pried its weapon from the car and was bringing it down in an angry arc at Rain. The brunette fainted to the left, reaching out with one foot to the side of a car. She kicked off and was in the air, eye level with the Axeman as she brought out two Glocks and let a flurry of bullets loose into his head.

Claire watched as the Axeman aimed to swat Rain out of the air. His hand caught her foot and she spun sideways. Claire took off towards the infected with Magnum raised and hammer kicked back. Rain latched onto his hand and swung under his arm and used both feet to kick the axe out of his hand. The crude weapon dropped with a thud that shuddered the ground and kicked up a plume of dust.

"Claire!" K-mart had emerged from the Cadi, arms holding up Alice as the blonde shook off a concussion. Claire stopped and looked between them and Rain before sighing. K-mart watched in horror as the Axeman grabbed a hold of Rain's leg and brought her crashing to the ground. "I can handle!" she said. "Go help Rain." She shouted. This fight seemed much too big for Rain to handle alone, and she didn't intend to let Rain die because she was scared and wanted Claire's help. She had Alice, as out of it as she was. Claire nodded, turned and was after Rain before K-Mart could say "Be safe."

Rain had secured herself a spot between two overturned cars and had opened fire with the AK47. Claire watched as the Axeman advanced, unphased by the bullets that pocked his gruesome hide. Rain spotted Claire's red hair and stood swiftly to make her way quickly through the maze of cars to her side. "We need something bigger to kill him." She looked around slowly, before nodding her head to the left. There was an overturned semi with a biohazard sticker on the side. "Red, I need you to distract him." She met the taller woman's eyes, "Can you do that?"

Claire would've smiled, had the gravity of the situation not been weighing down on her. "Roger. Hey," she caught the brunette's arm before you could dart off and tried to offer a smile, "Be safe, okay?"

Rain paused, mouth agape in a wordless fashion, but she nodded and gave a dry swallow, "You too, Red." Then she was gone up and over the nearest car and towards the semi. Claire darted in the opposite direction and loosed four bullets at the B.O.W. The wasn't as nimble, by far, as Rain climbing and vaulting over the cars, but she managed to stay ahead of her pursuer. She was just about to cut around a truck when she cast a glance over her shoulder. The Axeman had stopped and was turning around, his axe poised, to lock onto Rain.

The Latina had maneuvered to the semi and had unhooked the hose. She stood atop the gleaming side with the nozzle pointed at the Axeman. She had a wicked smirk on her face as the Axeman closed in. In her other hand she held a lighter. Rain kicked at a valve by the hose and simultaneously lit the lighter under the tip of the hose. The gas that had been shooting forth erupted instantly into a brilliant and terrifying flame and seemed to engulf the brunette behind it.

"Rain!" Claire jerked forward, but immediately stepped back and covered her face from the intensity of the fire. The Axeman was cloaked in flames and he stumbled backwards into a truck. His massive form nearly halved the vehicle, but the flames caught onto the undercarriage and the once-was Honda exploded. The flames kept up for only a moment more, then the flamethrower ceased to reveal Rain behind it, her foot on the valve and a smirk on her face. Her eyes sought out Claire from across the graveyard of cars and she smiled.

"I love fireworks." She said.

_Sorry it took so long, but life is a bitch. I'll hopefully get back into the swing of things again. Gimme some reviews and it might get up sooner! ;) Also, thanks to everyone for pushing me to pick it back up. You are all awesome! Keep it up!_


	9. The Firehouse Tango

"I'm not driving that."

Rain glanced up at Claire, an eyebrow raised in a 'seriously?' manner. "What have you got against Hummers, Red?"

"Nothing, except they're gas guzzlers, an eyesore and this thing is fucking _yellow_. _Piss _fucking_ yellow_, Rain. Talk about hideous, and it doesn't exactly just fit in."

Rain smirked and shook her head, "It's all wheel drive, in perfect condition and just _begging_ to be taken for a drive. Besides, it's the only thing tough enough for the job that we've seen so far. Consider ourselves lucky." She paused semi-dramatically, "I'm still grieving for my Cadi, Red. I would rather it than this too. Give me a break." She winked, then, "Besides, I'll be driving thank you." She hoisted herself up into the driver's seat and shut the door, leaving Claire to huff indignantly and climb into the passenger's seat.

Alice, now awake, sat with K-mart in the back seat. The teen hadn't stopped ranting about how awesome Rain had been during the fight with the axeman since they'd reunited on the highway. They'd come further towards the city in search of a vehicle, and the yellow Hummer offered the perfect ride despite Claire's protests.

"We'll need gas." Rain glanced at the fuel gauge and then up at the road. She pointed to a withered CONOCO sign and started the engine. "Bingo." The Hummer roared to life and Rain inched forward through the wreckage until she was clear for a half mile stretch to the station. Within a minute, she'd pulled alongside a pump and climbed out. "Alice, Claire, check inside for supplies. I'll fill her up. K-Mart, stay inside the Hummer and keep watch."

Claire gave a noncommittal nod, still not pleased with their choice of ride, and stepped outside of the vehicle. Alice joined her on the other side of the Hummer and started inside. Alice had her weapon drawn, keeping it loose at her side. Claire, on the other hand, had hers poised and ready.

"Think we'll make it to Phoenix before it gets dark?" Claire asked as she peered over the counter.

The blonde took a moment to calculate the distances before shaking her head, "I doubt it. The only route I know of is heading north to Farmington, then shooting through Flagstaff to the west. It'll take nine or ten hours to get there and we're hitting two in the afternoon as is." Alice picked up a few lighters from a rack and stuffed them into her pockets. "We'll probably bunk down in a few hours. Farmington, maybe?"

Claire nodded, a grin lighting her face as she spotted two packs of cigarettes sitting untouched behind the register. She pocketed them and after a 'clear' from Alice sheathed her gun. She took one of the packs out, Camels to her slight disgust, and tapped one end against her palm. "You okay? No concussion or anything?"

Alice smirked, but shook her head as she watched the redhead lean on the counter. "It'll take more than just a knock to the head to take me out, Claire." A rattle echoed through the building, like a clash of buckets clattering to the floor. Both women jumped up, guns in hand. "Who's there?" Alice called. At first there was no reply and both women exchanged looks as Claire mouthed 'Infected'.

Finally, a voice stuttered from the Janitor's closet. "We're friendly." It was a female voice, strangled out of fear. "Please, take what you want and leave us alone."

Claire relaxed, if just ever so slightly, "Come out. We won't hurt you." Alice shot her a look, one that warned her not to let her guard down. The closet door opened and a young woman, no older than her early twenties, stepped out into the light. She was a redhead, with her hair cropped at her shoulders and dressed in a faded blue sundress. Behind her were two men, a child and an elderly woman. One of the men looked to be the redhead's brother, slightly older, and wearing a ragged t-shirt and jeans. Claire noticed he had no shoes. The other was roughly the same age, with brown hair and an admittedly handsome face. The child looked to be about 8, though whose child it was she couldn't tell. The older woman was portly, with a kind face that looked much too out of place to be surviving the end of the world.

"My name is Rhonda, this is my son Branson, my brother Hugh, our friend Kallen and this is Evelyn." The young woman introduced the group, pointing to each in turn as she said their names. "We've been taking shelter here for a few days."

"Is it just you five, then?" Claire asked.

The young woman glanced at her brother, before hesitantly shaking her head. "N-no, we have two more who went out for supplies. They should be back soon." Claire would have to commend her honesty.

Alice spoke next, watching the group warily but lowering her weapon just slightly. "We mean no harm if you don't. We're here for gas and supplies," though now she felt bad for taking what little these people had, "Then we'll be on our way." She paused, glancing at the redhead before opening her mouth to say something else.

A commotion outside caught everyone's attention, sending the occupants towards the window. Rain was beside the Hummer, slowly stepping away from it with her gun drawn. At the other end of the barrel was a tall black man with a gun aimed right back. To the side of him, with her gun drawn and pointed at Rain, was another latina, just a few inches taller than Rain. Claire stepped out of the gas station, gun trained on the latina as Alice kept a close eye on the tall man.

Instead of speaking to Rain, the man called over his shoulder to those inside the building. "Are you alright? Anyone hurt in there?"

Rhonda slowly edged her way to stand in the doorway, Branson at her side. "We're alright, Luther. They said they meant no harm."

Rain glanced at Claire, "This true?" When Claire nodded, the latina brazenly lowered her gun and placed it back in the hem of her jeans without another word. She turned away from Luther and the woman to continue inspecting the engine of the car as if nothing had happened. Slightly confused by Rain's quick change, Luther slowly lowered his weapon and instructed for his companion to do so as well. They made their way towards the station as Claire and Alice hesitantly returned to the Hummer. As the redhead neared Rain, she watched as Luther and the latina met up with the group from the station.

"Did you find any supplies?" Rhonda asked.

Luther shook his head and sighed, "We've got enough to feed us for a day, but that's it. There were too many infected to go any further and they're making their way further this way. We'll need to leave soon."

Rhonda let out a choked sob, "But you know Evelyn can't make it much further since our car broke down. We can't just walk to Santa Fe. What'll we do?"

The older woman stepped forward, kind face drawn with sadness. "You leave without me. I won't let you all be sittin' ducks just because I'm old. It's my time..."

Claire tuned them out, heart torn at what to do. She looked at Rain as the shorter woman closed the hood; they locked eyes as Claire opened to her mouth to speak, but Rain beat her to it as if she knew exactly what Claire was going to ask. "The old lady, the woman and the boy will sit with K-Mart and I up front. The rest of you will have to sit in the back. It's the best we can do for now. We'll skirt the city best we can and gather supplies along the way until we can find somewhere safe for them to stay."

Claire blinked, speechless before smiling softly and nodding gravely, "Thank you, Rain." As she left to explain the deal to the survivors, Rain watched her go with a sadness that wrenched her gut. A grey cloud blotched out the sun and Rain watched it. Something bad was coming. She could feel it.

The Hummer was piled with survivors, each silent with their own thoughts and worries. Evelyn sat shotgun with K-Mart, Branson, Rhonda and the latina, whose name they learned was Santana, piled into the back seat. The other men and women of their group settled as best they could into the cramped floor space. They'd skirted Albuquerque, opting to stay out of the thick of the city and onwards to northern New Mexico. They looted houses along the way, having already set up a system of four people –Rain, Luther, Santana and Alice – to run into the houses while Claire and the others kept watch from the vehicle. After looting enough to keep them sustained for a few days, they made a straight shot for a safe house.

Along the way the tension between the parties died down. K-Mart took a liking to Branson and kept him entertained. Luther and Alice kept up a lighthearted banter and Rain and Evelyn shared stories of life before the outbreak; Rhonda had fallen asleep, Hugh and Kallen shared a drink while Claire and Santana remained silent. Before long, as night descended upon them, they neared a small, unassuming town called 'Bloomfield'. The entire town composed of three stoplights and seemed to be mostly a travel town for those going from Albuquerque to Colorado or Phoenix, or vice versa. There were few houses in the main part of town, so Rain headed left, then right, They passed a high school, where a few Infected shambled across the parking lot. It wasn't until Rain gave a smirk of victory did the other two awake survivors see the fire station up ahead and to their right. Claire clambered onto her knees to peer over the middle console and smiled. "Bingo."

Santana leaned forward and nodded her head towards the parking lot, "Infected. Four from what I see, but they shouldn't be a problem." She paused to glance at Rain with a smirk that Claire didn't miss, "Isn't that right tough girl?"

Rain glanced at her, face void of any emotion to say that she'd caught the flirtatious tone, and shrugged. Claire narrowed her eyes at the woman before looking away as Rain parked the vehicle and stepped out with an axe she'd gotten from a garage out of a house they had looted. She took a few long, confident strides forward and met the infected with an upward swing of the blade that detached its head in one blow. She met the second with a similar outcome; the third infected was at least two heads taller than Rain, clad in his yellow and red uniform, but that didn't slow Rain one bit. She swung the axe down, taking out his knee. He toppled over sideways, where Rain finished him off with a downwards blow.

"Damn. Girl knows how to take out infected and make it look sexy too." Santana chirped from her seat, watching as Rain took out the last one without breaking a sweat. Claire turned to glare at her, but Santana missed it as she winked. "Don't tell me you wouldn't tap that if you had the chance. I know I would." She glanced up and smiled, "There's our cue." She hopped out before Claire could say a word.

The lobby had been void of any life, undead or otherwise. Rain had taken point but when Santana had tried to sneak in behind Rain, Claire unceremoniously worked her way between them leaving Santana to bring up the rear. They took a flight of stairs to the second level, deemed it clear, and then worked their way to the garage.

Claire had been keeping Santana in her sights though one particular sweep of the room caught Santana from her peripherals. The younger latina had her eyes on anything but the room, instead her eyes had planted them on Rain's backside and that smirk told stories about the things going on in her head. Claire rounded on her, fixing her a furious leer but the latina just glanced up at her, gave a lopsided smirk and winked.

"Clear." Rain lowered her gun and planted it back into the hem of her jeans as she watched the two. She didn't seem to have caught the tension between them as she continued, "You two stay here while I fetch the others."

As soon as Rain was out of earshot, the redhead rounded on the shorter woman. "Really?" she asked calmly. When Santana furrowed her brows in confusion, Claire bit back a scoff of annoyance. "Can't keep it in your pants, huh? Classy."

"Look, it's been a long ass time since I've seen a piece that fucking sexy. Pardon me if I appreciate it while I have the chance." Santana retorted, arms cross defiantly, "I don't see a label on her saying she's taken unless, oh-" she dropped off with a bemused laugh, "Unless I'm supposed to believe you and her-" When Claire's expression didn't look bemused, the latina erupted into laughter.

"Something funny?" Claire snarled, but the latina just strode past her with a hand raised and head thrown back in a fit of giggles. Claire watched her go, trying her best to control her rage before following her to the lobby to meet up with the others.

They had all piled into one of the rooms, the survivors sprawled across floor, bed and chairs alike as they conversed. It was the first time they had felt safe in a few days and their fresh supply of food and drinks was keeping their spirits high. A single lamp illuminated the faces around it like a fire. Rain was curled up in a recliner, Claire sitting cross legged below her. Alice sat with K-Mart and Branson on the nearest bed, while Luther sat on top of the desk, the two other men and Santana situated on the floor while Rhonda and Evelyn shared the farthest bed.

"So I told the crazy bitch 'Look, I didn't take your dog. Does it look like I'm sporting a poodle under this shirt?'"

The room, save for Rain, erupted into laughter as Luther finished his story. Kellan, who it turned out was from Israel, shook his head. "American's and their dogs," his accent was hard to decipher through but they'd figured out how to get the story without hearing everything he said, "I can't tell you how many times I was asked to take a picture of some lady and her dog." He continued, but by then Rain had tuned out most everything in the room for so long that she didn't notice when one story would start and another would finish.

It was Claire's voice that brought her out of her reverie. The redhead had been asked about her family, and Rain listened as she recounted a tale about Chris and herself.

"_Trust me, Claire, it is not everything they are pumping it up to be."_

"_Sure it is. It isn't any different than the airforce. I don't get to drive Black Hawks, but I can still kick ass and doing something good for this country." The redhead, on defense, pointed an accusatory finger at the older Redfield. "Besides, if it isn't so great why are you running off to sign up?"_

"_Look, I've got nothing going for me right now. I have to do something besides sit here watching Dad waste away after Mom died. I can't handle doing nothing?"_

_If there was anything to be said about the Redfield siblings, it was their uncanny similarities. How much they were so alike. Claire hadn't even paused to bat an eyelash, "No, Chris! You don't get to pull that fucking card. You think I am happy here anymore than you are? No, we both fucking know that. We're miserable, and I'd be damned if you left me here to rot alone. I love Dad as much as you do, but maybe it's time we put him in a Home. We can't take care of him forever." There was a reluctant sigh from Chris as Claire caught her breath. Her chest was rising and falling, panting from her verbal outburst. Instantly she switched from offensive and relaxed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose my temper."_

_Chris smiled, "You never do."_

"_I'm happy for you, _really._" Claire bit her lip and focused on trying to be there for her brother instead of on the situation. "I wish I could join you out there. We'd make a kick-ass team." She offered._

_Chris looked up from his watch and offered a reassuring smile. He was clad in a semi-militaristic gear. A camo BDU with a tactical vest, cargo pants and thick combat boots. A new badge gleamed from his sleeve. "You know it. We'd also probably get discharged for ruffing up the other rookies during flag football." He winked, to which Claire scoffed indignantly but didn't bite. "I'm going to miss you."_

"_I'll miss you too."_

_Chris paused, "I'm sorry things didn't work out. You really should have been coming with me."_

"_I should have, you're right, but fate has a funny way of fucking us over from time to time. Dad needs one of us, and heaven knows you couldn't stay and play denmother for him. Besides, if I left he'd fall apart."_

"_You do look so much like mom." Chris interjected softly. _

"_So, you go out there and kick ass for me, okay? Maybe when Dad is better I can sport the gear and a fancy new BSAA badge and come join you, but for now you'll have to do it for me." Claire patted his shoulder, both siblings above giving hugs, and smiled._

"_I will, sis, don't worry about that." Chris gave her a salute, turned and boarded the plane._

"You were going to join BSAA?"

The room startled at Rain's first words of the night. Claire glanced up and over her shoulder at the latina and nodded, "Yes. I was on my way to sign the damn papers when I got a call from the hospital. Dad had a stroke... Kind of put everything else on hold." She smiled inwardly then and shrugged, "Least to say if I had joined, I probably wouldn't be searching for him now."

"True, but you wouldn't be here with us either." K-Mart objected. Alice nodded from beside her.

"Funny how things would have put us on other sides of the war on bioterrorism," Alice noted, "Though I had no idea things would have gotten this out of hand, nor to this magnitude."

Claire nodded thoughtfully, but Luther looked puzzled from his seat on the desk. "Wait, you worked for Umbrella?"

"I was the Head of Security for the Hive in Raccoon City."

"So aren't you the bad guy, then?" Luther added.

"We were never the bad guys," Rain narrowed her eyes in warning at the ex-basketball player. "We just didn't know what side we were on until things went to shit."

Luther's hands raised in surrender, "You worked for Umbrella too?" he asked.

"I did. I was in a special tactical squad designated for covering Umbrella's screw ups. I was sent into the Hive with my team to assess what had happened."

"Sexy." Santana cut in.

"And you two made it out alive? Surviving Raccoon City was hard enough, let alone going in blind." Rhonda spoke this time, having followed along intently.

To this, Rain glanced at Alice who met her gaze, but lowered them. "I did. I thought Rain was dead until a few weeks ago."

Rain was silent for a moment as all pair of eyes turned to her, expecting a story, but the latina was stone silent. Then, she stood and headed out of the room. The survivors shared curious glances, but no one followed. It was when most of the group had returned to their bunks that Claire noticed Santana get up and head after Rain.

Claire stood, smelling the trouble Santana was trying to brew, and went after her.

The air outside had only gotten colder, signaling that they were closer to the mountains and drawing into Fall. Claire tugged her coat tighter around her and huddled into it. Rain and Santana were nowhere in sight, leaving the redhead to guess where they had run off to. As she neared the corner of the building, Santana's laugh caught her attention. Pressing against the stucco of the building, Claire peered around and spotted the two latina's next to the Hummer. Rain was rested casually against the bumper, eyes warily focused on Santana as the taller girl leaned into her personal space. She could hear their muffled voices, but was hard pressed to make them out.

The younger brunette reached out and caressed Rain's cheek, said something and stepped forward to press herself against Rain. Claire sighed, annoyance and frustration at Santana bubbling to the surface. In five swift strides she crossed the lot and grabbed onto the back of Santana's coat. She yanked harder then she realized, sending the brunette sprawling into the pavement, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"What the fuck did I tell you earlier, Hormones? Lay off her."

Santana stood and stepped up to the redhead, "What? Can't get her yourself so you have to ruin the fun for the rest of us?"

"You guys, I'm right-"

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Claire snapped back, "I said lay off, so that means lay off."

"Or what, Legs?" Santana took one more step forward and shoved into Claire; the youngest Redfield stumbled a few steps back. Santana was stronger than she gave her credit for, but she still had nothing on Claire.

There was silence before Claire could shove back, interrupted by a decisive click of a hammer being cocked back. Santana froze, eyes wide as cold steel pressed against her temple. Rain stood with one hand curling and uncurling at her side and eyes blazing into Santana. Her normally brown irises were lost to complete and utter black. "Don't fucking touch her." She hissed.

Santana stammered, hands raised in surrender as she back away from Rain's gun. "Holy shit, dude, I didn't-"

"Rain," Claire started, "Calm down." She reached out and brushed her knuckles across Rain's forehead, trying to calm the latina. She was burning up and not just a slight fever either. Claire pulled her hand away as the heat became too intense and began to burn her hand. Rain's figure was blurred around the edges, like a car hood releasing heat on a hot day. "Rain?"

The gun fired, the boom echoing around the parking lot and reverberating back to them. Claire flinched, watching as Santana stumbled back a step then –"Jesus, that was right in my ear! What were you trying to do? Deafen-"

The sky lit up, the harsh light blinding Claire and for a moment she felt weightless. Her back collided with something hard. The ground? She lifted her head and tried to focus past the ringing in her ears. Santana lay a few feet away, limbs splayed across the pavement, her lifeless eyes peering back at her. "Fuck me." She looked to her left, where Rain had been, but the brunette was standing in a blaze of fire. A hulking shadow towered past the smoke and flames that Claire couldn't make out. A grisly, massive arm reached out and grabbed onto Rain's shirt and hoisted her off the ground.

She could just make out Rain's words before she blacked out. "It's you again, huh? Though I had killed you already." She paused and laughed wickedly but it was cut short and Rain's body slumped in his hand.

* * *

**Thanks for the patience, folks. I just wanted to say a particular reviewer brought up a new ship name for this boat and I have to say, I'm a huge fan. Consider this a 'Raire' fic ;) The more reviews, perhaps the faster the next chapter is up :D**


End file.
